


Tales of A New Valla

by Daxmvarg



Series: Fire Emblem Fates: A Tale of Two Royals [4]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2020-03-02 12:04:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 63,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18810550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daxmvarg/pseuds/Daxmvarg
Summary: Song name is "Weight of the World" from NieR: Automata, though with some lyrical changes to better suit the setting





	1. Weight of the World

_"Welcome to The Yato. What do you what?"_

_"Whutchu' got?"_

_"Well, I got pretty much a little bit of everything right now. New shipment, 'cause, you know, that huge coronation party or whatever. Nohrian ale, Hoshidan sake, Vallite beer—you name it, I probably got it."_

_"Ah. In that case, I'll take a beer. An' make it sharp."_

_"Tch. You know, I never expected a Hoshidan to actually this Nohrian stuff."_

_"I'm not one of those damned rice-farmers. Im'ma Vallite."_

_"Ah. I see. I'm sorry."_

_"It's alright, I s'pose. Dunno why people keep saying shit like 'I'm sorry,' or 'Must've been hard on ya,' whenever they find out I'm a Vallite."_

_"But…sorry if I'm being too forward, but didn't a lot of your people die when that dragon-god thing attacked?"_

_"If you're referin' to Anankos, then yes. Life was a bitch back then, which made it all the sweeter when Princess Azura rescued us."_

_"Princess…Azura? Who's she?"_

_"Are ya' bloody kiddin' me? She's the one who's always stroking that 'King' Corrin's cock! Y'know, the one who always wears a white dress and has long-ass blue hair?"_

_"Oh_ that's _Lady Azura? I thought she was just his concubine or something."_

_"Nah, far from it. Listen to this, she's his_ cousin. _"_

_"…"_

_"…"_

_"Okay? And?"_

_"It means that's only reason why_  he's _gettin' coronated and not her! I don't care how 'close' those two are, but_ she _should be the one sitting on the throne, not him!"_

_"Hey buddy, you slam that glass onto the table again and it shatters, you're fucking paying for it, alright? Calm down."_

_"Sorry. I-I don't usually drink this much, but seeing that fool sitting on our princess' throne makes me want to become an alcoholic at times."_

_"That sounds pretty fucking stupid. And besides, he just got coronated three_ days _ago! Give him a shot before you start frothing at the mouth, will you?"_

_"Urgh. Just give me another shot, will you?"_

_"Yeah, okay, no. You're drunk. Go home."_

_"I said give me—"_

_"Go. Home."_

" _Give me_ _—"_

_"Home. Now."_

_"…"_

_"…"_

_"Fucker."_

* * *

"…and, um, would…would you do me the honor by m-marrying me and…and b-becoming my wife?"

The crowd fell silent as they watched Felicia with wide eyes. The pink haired woman's hands moved to cover her mouth as she nodded silently, tears threatening to spill out over lashes. Around her, the very air itself grew cold, and more than a few patrons hastily stepped back, unable to endure more than a few seconds in the freezing air.

"Y-yes!" she finally choked out, continuing to nod. "O-of course I will!"

In a flurry of movement, everyone started clapping and cheering as Silas fluidly rose to kiss his now-fiancé on the lips. Azura could do nothing but clap along happily alongside Corrin, who despite the easy smile on his face, couldn't help feel a twinge of unease at the sight of the golden band gleaming on Felicia's finger.

His smile  _was_  genuine, and the sense of happiness was as well, but seeing his best friend proposing already reminded Corrin of the lack of a ring on his own intended. As if sensing Corrin's unease, Azura turned towards him and flashed a brilliant smile.

"You know you don't have to do it in a crowd, you know," she teased, her voice lilting as she pressed herself into Corrin.

Corrin had to concentrate to keep his balance. His head felt heavier with his brand-new crown sitting around his ears, and already he knew he would have to get a smaller circlet like Xander's for practical use.

"Well, how else am I supposed to show the world that I love you?" Corrin teased back, struggling to wipe his face and voice free of unease.

Azura said nothing but bumped her hip into him, causing him to stumble again. "You already did," she giggled. "You trusted in me when I thought nobody else would."

* * *

Upon the dawn of the third week after Corrin's coronation, when the old dais was nearly rebuilt and the city seemed reasonably secure, Azura found herself standing besides Corrin in his study, with Flora and Felicia standing nervously before them.

"Y-you're what?" Felicia stammered as Flora's jaw dropped in shock.

"I'm releasing you from my service," Corrin repeated, dully twirling his crown around his finger. Already, he had started to dislike the weight out the crown and how it threw him off balance whenever he stood up or walked while wearing it.

Azura had received one of her own as well to signify her position as Queen-Consort, though it was nowhere near as flashy or ornamental as Corrin's. Rather, it was simply a silver circlet with snippets of light blue stone—the same shade as Azura's family's hair—twisted throughout. Corrin had already ordered one with a similar design be made for him, though with the blue stone replaced with ebony and the material of the crown resembling gold instead of silver. The smaller crown he would wear for practical purposes while he'll only wear the larger one for ceremonial events.

"B-but what would we be without serving you?" Flora asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. "What would  _I_  be?"

Azura shivered involuntarily as she felt the temperature in the room drop by at least a few degrees. Normally, it was Flora who had the problem of unable to control her ice magic when emotionally taxed, but with both twins in the same room, Azura could've sworn she saw a stray tear sliding down Flora's cheek freeze in its tracks.

Corrin grimaced as a sudden gust of wing tousled his hair around. "Can you please let me finish?" he said, almost shouting over the howl of the wind caused by the two maids' despair. "I wasn't done talking yet! The reason I'm releasing you from my service is because I wanted you two to serve as Azura's retainers!"

The wind stopped immediately. Azura looked in surprise at Corrin, her normal calm mask breaking in light of this recent turn of events. "Corrin?" she asked questioningly. "Are you sure?"

"You…you want us to d-do what?" Felicia asked, sniffling.

Shivering, Corrin said, "You two have always been faithful servants of mine, and I cannot in good faith continue to hold you two to myself after Garon's death. So that's why I'm releasing you from my service. If you want to keep serving me for some reason, I'll let it, but please, at least consider my offer first."

Flora glanced at Azura. "B-but I thought she already had one?"

Corrin shook his head and looked towards Azura, silently willing her to speak. Shaking her head and stifling a sneeze in the crook of her elbow, she hastily stammered out, "W-well, I never really had retainers, since I was technically a prisoner while I was in Hoshido, so…"

Corrin gestured towards her. "See?" he said. "The two of you were forced into my service when you were barely older than me. It doesn't feel right to just  _give_  away my friends to Azura just because you worked as my maids. I want this decision to be your own, but like I said, if you want to keep working for me, then—"

"I'll be more than happy to serve as Lady Azura's retainer," Felicia said suddenly, clumsily curtsying towards Azura. "T-that is, if she wants me, of course."

"What makes you think I didn't want you under my service?" Azura asked bluntly before realizing her mistake. "N-not saying that I don't, I do, but—"

"What are you saying, Felicia?" Flora interrupted, her tone growing icy cold. "We can't just let our jobs go that easily!"

"It would be rude for us to refuse!" Felicia shot back. "Plus, Azura seems like a nice person. What reason is there for us not getting to know her better?"

As Azura froze, unsure of how to respond, Corrin stepped between the two sisters. "Take your time you two," he said soothingly, "Er—actually take a couple days off or something to think about it. I know this is really big for you two, especially you, Flora, but please, at least consider my offer before you turn it down."

Flora pursed her lips. "Yes, of course, milord. You shall your answer cordially," she said, bowing stiffly alongside her younger twin before they retreated out of the room, the door swinging shut behind them. As soon as the door closed, Corrin sighed and let his crown slip off his finger and onto the desk.

"That…went poorer than you expected," Azura noted dryly as she absentmindedly started massaging Corrin's shoulders. To her concern, though New Valla was officially born three weeks ago, already, Corrin's shoulders were tenser than ever, even when compared to during the war.

"Felicia and Flora are both really good people, I swear," Corrin said tiredly as he rubbed his eyes. "But they honestly sometimes make me want to give them a hug or something just so they know that they're doing a good job. Flora especially. What with her always feeling jealous of Felicia for being to do what she's unable to do, she's wound up tighter than Takumi sometimes."

"That's not being fair to Takumi," Azura scolded gently, playfully braiding the hair on the back of Corrin's head. "I know you two never hit it off, especially when he started to insult both you and me during that dinner, but trust me, he's more bark than actual bite."

"He just happens to carry a bow capable of hurting gods," Corrin chuckled as he snaked an arm around her waist and looked up at her with puppy-dog eyes.

Azura smiled and shook her head as she gently disentangled herself from Corrin's arms. He let her go without hesitation, though the tips of his fingers lingered for a bit longer on her hair.

"That actually reminds me of something," Corrin said as he dug around in his desk for something. "There's something I…something I need to show you. Er—that is, if you have the time tonight."

"Tonight?" Azura asked as Corrin continued to dig through his desk, becoming increasingly flustered as whatever he was searching for refused to appear.

"Y-yeah," Corrin stammered, uncharacteristically nervous as he shoved something into his pocket. "It's in my new room, and I thought you'd like to see it."

"What is it?" Azura asked as she followed Corrin out of his room and down the stairwell.

"I-it's a surprise," Corrin said dismissively—a little bit  _too_  dismissively. "Just…promise me you won't get mad when you see it?"

Azura narrowed her eyes in suspicion as the gray stone walls around them changed to the colorful tapestries and open windows around Corrin's private quarters. While Corrin's treehouse had been his "room" during the Invisible War, Leo managed to convince him that having a king sleep in a treehouse would seem somewhat childish, and so Corrin reluctantly agreed to have his belonging moved to a new room.

Azura had only been in it once, and that was before it was filled with Corrin's belongings, so even she didn't know what to expect as she stepped into the room, Corrin holding the door open for her.

The first thing she noticed was the large window peering out over the castle. The second thing she noticed was the large and cushiony bed positioned right in the middle of the room. Like Corrin's study, his private quarters also had a door leading outside to a balcony, and it was then that Azura's gaze was drawn to what Corrin was evidently excited to show her: a grand piano.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, stepping over to it, running an appreciative eye over it. "It's…beautiful."

The piano was black, its surface shiny and free of marks. Azura slowly approached the instrument, marveling at its beauty, stopping a meter or so away from it. As she was about to run a finger over the black casing, she felt Corrin's hand wrap around her wrist. Surprised, she looked up to see Corrin clutching some sheets of paper to his chest.

"Um, please don't smudge the piano," he said timidly, as if afraid of angering her. "It's…pretty new."

"When did you even get this?" Azura asked. "And more importantly, how did you afford it? We can ill afford wasting New Valla's money on things as luxurious as this, so—"

"I thought you said you wouldn't get mad!" Corrin protested feebly. "A-and besides, it was on sale!"

"For how much?" Azura asked in disbelief. "I doubt brand new grand pianos grow on trees."

"It was only a couple thousand gold! And I bought it with my own money too!" Corrin explained as he set the sheets of paper—sheet music, she realized—down on the stand.

"How?" Azura asked, still unable to wrap her head around the fact that Corrin had seemingly managed to procure a piano out of thin air and move it into his room, all without her knowing. "When?"

"Remember how we would always find those bullions or piles of gold during battles?" Corrin asked. "Well, I sort of…saved them up for this."

"Why'd you get it?" Azura asked, shaking her head in exasperation though there was still something charming to see Corrin so flustered and excited at the same time.

"Remember how I told you I played the piano back in the Northern Fortress?" Corrin asked, sitting down in front of the piano and laying his long, slender fingers atop the keys. He played a few notes experimentally and the notes rang out, loud and clear.

_D flat, B minor, C, and A,_  Azura noted absentmindedly out of habit as she nodded. "You said you were pretty good at it, or that was at least what you told me," she said.

"Yeah, well, I couldn't have my old piano transported here exactly, so I decided to, you know, get another one," Corrin admitted sheepishly. "And I haven't exactly been keeping up with my skills, but still I…I was hoping to do a duet… with you?"

Azura rose an eyebrow curiously as she looked at the sheet music over Corrin's shoulder. At the top was the title " _The Weight of the World."_  Her eyebrows then lifted in shock as she read the name of the composer.

"Tatsuya Shigure?" she said in surprise. Looking at Corrin, she asked, "Where did you get this?"

Tatsuya Shigure was famous Nestrian composer, known for being the illegitimate son between a Nohrian duchess and a young Hoshidan ninja that died very soon later on in the war. Of course, neither countries had taken a liking to the birth and attempted to assassinate both mother and child, but the duchess managed to escape to Nestra where upon she died of her injuries.

Once he became of age, Tatsuya Shigure tried to join the Nohrian army, only to be rejected and left dirt poor in the poorest of Nohr's cities. Left with no other choice, he travelled to Hoshido where he fell in love with the beautiful landscape there. At the same time, he remained an avid fan of Nohrian motifs of strength and solidity. Using the two styles, he created a unique blend of work that sounded both Nohrian and Hoshidan, despite the two entirely different cultures.

Tatsuya's work was known for advocating peace between the two nations, utilizing instruments from both countries. Of course, while people at first looked down on his work as an abomination, they slowly began to warm up to it, to the point where he personally performed in front of the royals of both Hoshido and Nohr at a peace summit. Eventually, however, those who opposed peace sought out his life, and two months after his performance in front of the royals in at the peace summit, Tatsuya Shigure was found floating belly up in a lake south of Shirasagi.

He was only twenty-three years old when he died.

After his death, his enemies convinced both countries to do everything they could to hunt down and destroy his works…and destroy them they did. Those found with Tatsuya's work were summarily executed in Nohr and sentenced to life-imprisonment or slavery in Hoshido. Nowadays, it was extraordinarily rare to chance upon any of Tatsuya's work, much less the only song he ever wrote that was meant for a piano duet.

Corrin sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "It's a pretty long story, if I'm being honest. Basically, I found this old merchant selling music all the way back when I visited Hoshido for the first time. I had some gold, and he was desperate, so I got this song and a couple others for…around forty or fifty gold, I'd reckon."

"He  _sold_  you one of Tatsuya's work for  _fifty gold_?" Azura asked, her eyes wide. She gestured down to the aged yellowed sheets, shaking her head, unable to form the words she wanted to say. Finally, she said, "Do you know how much one of his works usually go for? In the millions, Corrin!  _In the millions!_  And you've been keeping it to yourself the entire time?"

Corrin grinned sheepishly as he shrugged. "Eh, sort of?" he said helplessly as Azura shook her head in disbelief.

"I can't believe you've done this," she said in defeat. "You never cease to amaze me, Corrin."

"I know," Corrin said smoothly as he rolled his shoulders back in preparation to play. "So, do you want to? T-to do a duet with me?"

"I would like nothing else," Azura said, smiling as she positioned herself behind Corrin's shoulder so she could read off the paper.

Then he began to play.

Azura had no lyrics to sing in the first few measures, so she simply watched Corrin's fingers move gracefully over the ivory keys. He plays beautifully—Azura notes—though his shoulders were oddly tense but Azura paid no further heed to him as the music began to wash over her. The first few notes were long and held out, with a definite air of sadness behind them, but also with a sense of purpose and acceptance as well. The combination was…odd, to say the least, yet Azura found this feeling to be…familiar, for lack of a better word.

As the music flourished and additional notes and rhythms entered, Azura opened her mouth to break into melodic verse.

* * *

" _I feel like I'm losing hope_

_In my body and my soul_

_And the sky, it looks so ominous_

_And as time comes to a halt_

_Silence starts to overflow_

_My cries are inconspicuous_

_[...]_

_Tell me why are you punishing me?_

_Is this the price I pay for my past mistakes?_

_This is my redemption song_

_I need her more than ever right now_

_Can you hear me now?_

_[...]_

_Cause if I'm going to shout aloud,_

_I'm going to do so by myself!_

_I'll carry the weight of the world_

_I wish that someway, somehow_

_That I could save either one of us_

_But is truth is that I'm only one man_

_Maybe if I keep believing_

_Her dreams will come to life_

_Come to life…"_

* * *

Azura's eyes shot open as she felt Corrin's hands on her shoulders as he stood up to face her. The piano fell silent as Azura stared at Corrin in confusion before he opened his mouth and began to  _sing_  right alongside her, his deeper voice in perfect harmony with hers. Her eyes automatically slid shut as she pressed her head into his chest, taking in his scent and enjoying his sudden closeness as the two of them sang together.

* * *

_After all the laughter fades_

_Signs of life washed away_

_I can still feel your arms on me_

_No matter how hard I pray_

_Signs of death still remain_

_And life has become my enemy_

_[...]_

_Tell me why are you punishing me?_

_Is this why you took her away from me?_

_This is my end_

_I need her more than ever right now_

_Can she hear me now?_

_[...]_

_Cause I'm going to shout aloud_

_Even if my words seem meaningless_

_I'll carry the weight of the world_

_On my own_

_I wish that I could save her and myself_

_But the truth is that she's only one girl_

_[...]_

_Still, she's going to shout aloud_

_Even if my words seem meaningless_

_You are the weight of my world_

_I hope that someday, somehow,_

_I can save both of us_

_But the truth is that I'm one man,_

_Maybe if I keep believing our hopes will come alive_

_Come alive…_

* * *

Azura chose to hold out the final note for eight whole breaths instead of the six written on the sheet music. Corrin did the same, though towards the end of the note, his tone started to waver. Her fingers tighten on the fabric of Corrin's tunic as he voice died and her eyes slid open, a smile breaking out on her face as she pulled herself away from their embrace.

"That was beautiful, Corrin," she said as she looked at the sheet music, habitually looking for places where she made mistakes in her performance. "I never thought you would be one to have a singing voice, yet—"

Silently, Corrin dropped to a knee and pulled out a small velvet box. After a split-second of struggling, he finally managed to open the box to present a beautiful ring made of black onyx and white diamonds, complete with an azure sapphire embedded on top in the middle of the band.

The head glistened brightly in the setting sun as Azura's hands move to cover her mouth of their own accord. All the breath exits her body in a quiet little gasp only to be replaced with this light-headed feeling akin to when she sang for too long without taking a moment to rest, but  _this_  feeling actually made her feel like she was rising up into the heavens with how  _happy_  she felt at the sight of Corrin kneeling before her.

He swallows, evidently nervous as he blurts out, "A-Azura, I just…really love you, and w-when I saw Silas proposing to Felicia d-during my coronation, I just found that I c-couldn't really wait any longer, so I felt now would b-be a good time. A-At first I thought about w-writing a poem to you like how we d-did a year or so ago, but I thought you wouldn't like that since I d-did it before already…and then I thought about writing a song for you, e-except I didn't know how to write, I only knew how to play, b-but then I thought back to h-how I bought this music i-in Hoshido and a-after playing through it a-a few times in my spare time, I-I knew it was perfect and all I'm just trying to say is that I love you and that you are the weight to my world. Would…will you please marry me? W-Will you please honor me by staying by my side as my wife and my other half, and not simply as my lover or best friend anymore? Will you please marry me?"

Tears sprung up in the corners of Azura's eyes as she nodded tearfully, unable to hold back her emotions any longer. "Yes!" she gasped, wondering if  _this_  was the reason why the word  _breathless_  was created. "Yes, of course! Yes yes yes! I love you, Corrin! I love you! Yes!"

Corrin blinked in what looked like surprise before he hugely exhaled, partly in relief, and partly in happiness. He shakily took her extended right hand and slipped the onyx-diamond ring onto her finger.

"Oh my gods," he breathed, suddenly dizzy now that the deed was done. "I-I mean, I felt like that whole song proposal thing was a bit unoriginal for some reason, and that it felt really cheesy or cliched or—"

"It was flawless," Azura said, smiling wider than she ever had in her entire life. "It was perfect, Corrin. Now get up here."

He rises obligingly before meeting her needing lips with his own wanting set. As he dipped her low, Azura catches the sight of her new ring gleaming on her finger in the sunset, and smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song name is "Weight of the World" from NieR: Automata, though with some lyrical changes to better suit the setting


	2. Happiest Day

" _Welcome to The Yato, how can I—oh, it's you again."_

_"Huh? What d'you mean it's 'me again?' I don' think I've met you before."_

" _You came in during the coronation, got drunk, shattered one of my cups, and then started ranting about how Lady Azura should've been the one sitting on the throne instead of Lord Corrin."_

" _Oh. Y-yeah, I sorta remember now."_

" _If you're here to get drunk and smash stuff and rant again, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. This business is still pretty new and I don't need your antics to drive away potential customers."_

" _Speakin' o' which, I'mma bit surprised to see a bar already built and running in this city."_

" _It was actually my father's greatest dream, you see. He always wanted own a business to call his own, and he always was a fan of alcohol, so when he…passed, I decided to open up The Yato for him."_

" _Ah. I see. But why 'The Yato?' Could'ja have chosen a more illness-inducing name?"_

" _Watch it, buddy. Just because_ you _don't like our king doesn't mean he didn't do anything for us. Or did you forget that he killed the god terrorizing your people and was forced to choose between Hoshido or Nohr?"_

" _What's up with tha' anyways? Never really got it."_

" _Oh, just a bunch of political bull. Apparently, Lord Corrin was Queen Mikoto's son, but the Nohrians kidnapped him. Yada yada—fast-forward a couple years, Lord Corrin gets kidnapped_ back  _by the Hoshidans and he's basically forced to choose between saving his birth country and his home country."_

" _Ah. That's…that's pretty fucking brutal."_

" _Yeah, it is. Good thing everything turned out well enough though, huh?"_

"… _I guess. Still pisses me off tha' she's not sitting on the throne."_

" _Are you really still on that? And if you're just gonna stand around in my bar and take up space, you might as well leave."_

* * *

The news of Corrin's proposal to Azura spread like wildfire across the land, and by the end of the week, Corrin and Azura has already received letters of congratulations on their engagement to each other. Ryoma, Leo, and Xander's were all formal, as expected, while Camilla's had been teasing. Both Corrin and Azura could  _feel_  the excitement in Sakura and Elise's letters, while Takumi's had been curt and sounded like it had been forced, to neither of their surprise.

"Typical," Corrin said, shaking his head as he leaned back in the chair placed in his bedroom. "Why is it every time we decide to further our relationship,  _everyone_  gets excited?"

"Because," Azura said from where she was standing on the balcony, "royal weddings are often seen less as a personal binding and more of a political one. Look at Ryoma and Camilla, for example. Their marriage to each other could be the first step of many on the path of mending the relationship between Hoshido and Nohr."

"But this isn't political though!" Corrin complained, pouting as he snapped his book closed. "I wanted to marry you because I  _love_  you, Azura! Not because of—I don't know—not because I wanted to stop a war or something from happening!"

Azura smiled and blushed red as she glanced down at the black-and-white ring around her right hand. "I know," she said simply. "And I love you too, Corrin, but you can't just expect people to forget something that's basically the norm right now, at least in the upper classes."

"I know…" Corrin replied, sighing in exasperation. "But if only…"

The two of them slowly fell back into a comfortable silence, Corrin opening his book back up to continue reading while Azura continued standing silently on the balcony, looking over the city. Corrin glanced at Azura over the top of the book, and as usual, he found himself being  _drawn_  towards her. Her slim figure, her radiating beauty, the demure way she tucked her hair behind her air—everything about her in that moment was perfect.

Corrin's eyes flicked down to his book as Azura glanced towards him, smiling. "You know I know when you're looking at me, right?" she asked coyly.

"N-no," Corrin stammered. "I-I mean yes. Yes, of course I do. You…know everything about me."

"Mmhmm."

Azura looked back out at the city— _their_  city. "Do you think we're ready?" she asked.

"Ready for what?" Corrin replied, looking back up from his book. "Kids?"

"Oh gods no!" Azura blurted, covering her mouth with her hand in embarrassment. "I would  _love_  to have some little ones to call our own with you, Corrin, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet. Physically  _or_ emotionally. Plus, we're not even married yet. Don't you think it's a bit soon for that anyways? I was just talking about whether or not we're ready to get married to each other."

"Oh. Why not?" Corrin asked. "I mean, it's been almost a year since we finished off Anankos, city's looking good, the people are happy, and all of the paperwork regarding your abdication has been pretty much processes at this point. At this point, the only thing we need to do is make sure Hoshido and Nohr don't go to war with each other again."

"I know," Azura admitted, shyly rubbing her arms. "But I mean, it's only been a week since you proposed to me, but plans haven't been made yet, and there's still a lot of things that needs to happen before we can even think about actually doing the whole marrying thing."

Corrin blinked in surprise at her sudden outpour and rose up from is his chair to walk over to her and rest his hands on her shoulders. "Hey," he said gently, squeezing her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Azura said, shaking her head. "I'm…just still surprised that you managed to pull this off."

"Pull what off?" Corrin asked innocently. "Killing Anankos, falling in love with you, and rebuilding your kingdom? I mean, if not me, who else?"

Azura chuckled as she turned around and threw her hands around Corrin's neck. "Exactly," she said, her voice muffled by Corrin's hair and neck. "I…I never thought I would ever live to see such a future, one where I could be freed from all my past torments—much less to actually play a part in it, however small."

"Aw, don't say that," Corrin said comfortingly as he gently rubbed the back of Azura's head. He pulled her closer to him, wanting to envelope her body with his own. "You did a lot, Azura, trust me. If anything, you were probably braver than me. You had to deal with the knowledge of Anankos and Valla by yourself for almost your entire life! I just had to deal with it for a short two years."

"Only because you were locked up somewhere in Nohr," Azura said bitterly. "And…I don't know, Corrin. For some reason, it doesn't seem right for us to be worrying about our marriage while Anankos' servants are still out there."

Corrin nodded and pursed his lips, remembering back to his conversation with Jiro regarding the attack on that Nohrian manor. "I know," he said simply. "I feel the same way too, but right now, Azura, we can't afford to go after him. Relationships between Hoshido and Nohr are still being worked out right now, Azura, so I doubt they'll take kindly to us just marching in take care of a few Hoshidan ninjas that suddenly decided to fight for the Nohrians."

Azura smirked. "I thought you were supposed to be the optimistic one?"

"I am!" Corrin replied. "But I can also see when you're worrying too much about something, and you always do this things where, like, you cross your arms together but really loosely, so that you look like you're always really displeased about something but you're really not because you're actually just really worried and you don't want other people to see you like that."

Azura looked down to see if Corrin spoke the truth. He did.

"Yes, well, that's because it's our  _job_  to be worried," she said calmly. "If the new King and Queen of Valla spends all their time cavorting about, then we're not really doing our jobs right, now are we?"

" _New_  Valla," Corrin corrected immediately. "And yes, you are right, but you also have to remember, Azura, you're not alone anymore! You're the Queen! People love you! You don't need to worry about doing everything by yourself anymore because you have us! You have  _me_!"

"You know I'm not kind of person, Corrin," Azura said quietly as she rubbed her arms, cold when a sudden gust of wind blew past, causing her hair to scatter around her. "You know how I am. You know what kind of person I am."

"I know, and I love every part of that," Corrin said promptly. He took her chin gently in his hand and looked at her in the eyes. "I love every part of you, and if I need to pick up Yato again and kill Anankos all the way over again for you, I will. Because I love you, Azura…and nothing can change that."

Azura wasn't sure what to make of that at first, so she simply stood there, rubbing her arms together and eyes flickering between the floor and Corrin's warm smile as he held her. When he pressed his lips to her temple, however, that was when she knew what to do.

She raised herself up on her tippy-toes and kissed him sweetly, once, on the nose.

"Thank you for saying that to me," she said lovingly. "And…and I'll try to open myself up to you—and to other people—in the future."

His smile somehow became even warmer. "That's the best thing you've ever said to me. Except when you told me that you loved me. And when you said you liked the way how I looked in my new armor. Or when you accepted my proposal."

She slapped his chest playfully as she pushed him away gently. "You're so cheesy sometimes, you," she scolded playfully, unable to repress her laughter.

Corrin laughed too, and together, the sounds of their mirth drifted over the city.

* * *

Five months later, Silas stood on the crest of a low hill dotted with white and blue wildflowers.

Surrounding the hill was a lush meadow that bordered the nearby river, which rushed past a hundred feet to Silas' right. The sky was bright and clear; sunshine bathed the land with a soft radiance. The air was cool and calm and smelled fresh, as if it had just rained.

Gathered in front of the hill were remaining members of Corrin's army that had ventured into Valla alongside their fearless leader in what felt like an eternity ago. Not only did many of them wish to do their duty on this fateful day, but they also served another purpose—separating the rabble from the noble. Many of soldiers held long spears mounted with embroidered pennants of every color—and despite their ceremonial appearance, Silas knew they were just as sharp as any sword or spear.

Wind tousled Silas' hair, which was still somewhat damp from washing, though that ever-so-familiar cowlick refused to go down, despite the event. A sharp  _clack_  of heels behind him told him about Felicia's and her sister's approach, and he turned his head slightly to flash a smile at the salmon-haired woman that was his wife.

The maid smiled back in return before whispering something to Flora. Apparently satisfied by whatever Flora whispered back to her, the pink-haired woman all but bounced over to Silas, unable to keep her excitement in check.

"Are you ready?" she asked cheerfully, habitually running an eye over Silas' form to look for any imperfections in the knight-turned-retainer's attire.

"Of course I am," Silas replied, raising an eyebrow cockily for added humor. "After our own wedding, this is nothing!"

Under normal circumstances, Silas would have been nervous about standing in front of so many people and performing such a solemn and important ceremony, but following his own wedding to Felicia two months prior, everything since had assumed an air of unreality and bliss, as if it were no more than a particularly vivid dream.

Felicia rested the flat of her palm of Silas' chest, who made no effort to hide the shiver running through his body when the tip of her finger touched his bare neck.

"Well, you better stay on your best behavior," she scolded playfully. "Lady Azura was  _not_  in a good mood this morning."

"What's wrong? Morning jitters?" Silas asked in a teasing voice, winking. "Was it anything like yours?"

Felicia blushed furiously at the memory of her own wedding day nervousness. "That's different!" she said, pouting. "I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was going to marry you! I still am!"

Chuckling, Silas interrupted her with a chaste kiss on her lips before standing back up to his full height. "I think you better get back to your sister," he said seriously. He gestured towards the raising of a yellow flag at the base of the hill—the signal that the ceremony had finally begun. "I think the wedding's getting started."

Felicia nodded as she saw the signal, and after returning a quick peck on Silas' cheek, she joined her sister at the base of the hill, along with everyone who had served in Corrin's elite guard.

Upon hearing of Corrin and Lady Azura's betrothal to each, each and everyone of their friends had quickly rushed to New Gyges for the wedding. Ryoma and Hinoka were both absent, as the situation in Hoshido proved to be more serious than they had first appeared, though Camilla and the king's new retainer—a sharp-eyed young man going by the name of Sun Tian—was attending in his stead. Kagero had abruptly retired following the end of the war, expressing a newfound desire to pursue a career in art. Hana was absent as well, as her pregnancy left her unable to travel easily to the wedding, though she had written a letter to Corrin and Lady Azura expressing her congratulations to them.

With a rustle of cloth, the crowd assembled before them parted, forming a long, open path from the hill to the edges of the crowd. Then, joining their voices, the Vallites began to sing the ancient wedding songs of Valla. The well-worn verses spoke of the cycle of the seasons, of the warm earth that gave birth to new crop each year, of the spring calving, of nesting robins and spawning fish, and of how it was the fate of the young to replace the old. Elise and Sakura quietly withdrew a violin and koto, respectively, from a velvet case and accompanied the crowd with notes of their own, embellishing upon the simple themes of their melodies, lending the ancient songs a wistful mood.

With slow steady steps, Corrin and Lady Azura emerged from either side of the crowd at the far end of the path, turned towards the hill, and, without touching, began to advance towards the altar. Corrin wore a tunic of white and black, with a vest of gold and a cape of white around his shoulders and touching the ground. However, it was Lady Azura who commanded Silas' attention—and that of everyone as well. Her dress was the traditional white, except for some light blue highlights, as was traditional of a bride at her first wedding. The dress was of a simple cut but with a lace train that was nearly twenty feet long and carried by two girls. Against the pale fabric, her hair flowed freely, shining with an almost unnatural brightness under the sun. Her shoulders and upper arms were left bare, and there was a circlet of flowers arranged painstakingly in her hair. She was proud, serene, and beautiful.

Silas heard gasps from some of the women, including Felicia, as they beheld Lady Azura's train. Three paces behind Corrin walked Xander, and at a similar distance behind Azura walked Camilla, walking careful to avoid stepping on the train.

When Corrin and Azura were halfway to the hill, a pair of white doves flew out of the willow trees lining the river. The doves carried a circlet of what looked like flowers, except they appeared to be made out of snow. The birds themselves looked as if they were made out of snow as well, and as they winged their way towards Corrin and Lady Azura, the couple slowed. The birds circled her three times, north to east, and then dipped down and laid the circlet upon the crown of her head before returning to the river.

 _Did you do that?_  Silas mouth towards Felicia.

His wife shook her head.  _Flora_ , she mouthed back, gesturing towards her twin with her head. Indeed, the blue-haired maid seemed rather pleased with herself as she subtly squeezed Jakob's hand.

At the top of the hill, Corrin and Azura stood motionless before the priest while they waited for the villagers to finish singing. As the final refrain faded into oblivion, the priest raised her hands and said in a deep voice, "Welcome, one and all. Today we have come together to celebrate the union between the families of Corrin Aurelius and Minamoto and Azura Rheos. They are both of good reputation, and to the best of my knowledge, no one else has a claim upon their hands. If that not be the case, however, or if any other reason exists that they should not become man and wife, then make your objections known before these witnesses, that we may judge the merit of your arguments." The priest paused for an appropriate interval, then continued. "Who here speaks for Corrin Aurelius and Minamoto?"

Xander stepped forward. "Corrin has neither father nor uncle, at least not by blood, so I, Xander Aurelius, speak for him as my blood."

"And who here speaks for Azura Rheos?"

Camilla stepped forward. "Azura has neither mother nor aunt, at least not by blood, so I, Camilla Aurelius speak for her as my blood." At first, both Corrin and Azura had been concerned that having two Nohrian royals to represent each other would make it seem as if they were favoring Nohr, but Jiro, Ryoma, and many others of Hoshidan heritage said that they truly did not care, and that it was expected for them to connect more readily with their Nohrian roots than with their Hoshidan ones, considering how both of them saw their Hoshidan roots as less than roots and more as cell bars.

"It is right and proper then," the priest said. "What, then, does Corrin Aurelius and Minamoto bring to this marriage, that both he and his wife may prosper?"

"He brings his kindness," Xander declared. "He brings his faithfulness. He brings the strength of his hands and his kingdom behind him. And he brings the promise of a happy life and marriage in New Valla, where they may both live in peace and happiness."

"Do you accept his offer, Camilla Aurelius?" the priest asked.

Camilla nodded. "I do."

"And what does Azura Rheos bring to this marriage, that both she and her husband may prosper?"

"She brings her love and devotion, with which she shall serve Corrin Aurelius and Minamoto. She brings her skills at running a household. And she brings with her the most sacred gift a Rheos could ever offer—her pendant."

Astonishment rippled through the crowd. Many knew by now of Azura's pendant and the cost it took on her body, despite her initial shyness. She was now declaring, in the most publicly and binding way possible, that after all these decades of slaving away under the pendant, that the Rheos were now giving their burden away to one not of their own.

"Do you accept this offer, Xander Aurelius?"

"I do."

"Thus your families become one, in accordance with the law of the land and gods."

Azura flinched subtly.

Then, for the first time, the priest addressed Corrin and Azura directly: "Those who speak for you have agreed upon the terms of your marriage. Corrin, are you pleased with how Xander Aurelius has negotiated on your behalf?"

"I-I am."

"And, Azura, are you pleased with how Camilla Aurelius has negotiated on your behalf?"

"I do. I-I mean I am."

"Corrin Aurelius and Minamoto, son of Mikoto, do you swear then, by your name and by your lineage, that you shall protect and provide for Azura Rheos while you both yet live?"

"I, Corrin Aurelius and Minamoto, son of Mikoto, do swear, by name and by my lineage, that I will—I mean I shall—I shall protect and provide for Azura Rheos while we both yet live."

"Do you swear to uphold her honor, to remain steadfast and faithful to her in the years to come, and to treat her with proper respect, dignity, and gentleness?"

"I swear I will uphold her honor, remain steadfast and faithful to her in the years to come, and to treat her with proper respect, dignity, and gentleness."

"And do you swear to give her the keys to your holdings, such as they may be, and to your strongbox where you keep your coin, by sunset tomorrow, so she may tend to your affairs as a wife should?"

Corrin swore that he would.

"Azura, daughter of Theophilus, do you swear, by your name and by your lineage, that you shall serve and provide for Corrin Aurelius and Minamoto while you both yet live?"

"I, Azura, daughter of Theophilus, swear, by my name and by my lineage, that I shall serve and provide for Corrin Aurelius and Minamoto while we both yet live."

"Do you swear to uphold his honor, to remain steadfast and faithful to him in the years to come, to bear his children while you may, and to be a caring mother for them?"

"I swear I shall uphold his honor, remain steadfast and faithful to him in the years to calm, bear his children while I may, and be a caring mother to them—for them."

"And do you swear to assume charge of his wealth and his possessions, and to manage them responsibly, so he may concentrate upon cuties that are his alone?"

Azura swore she would.

Smiling, the priest drew a red ribbon from his sleeve and said, "Cross your wrists together please, your highnesses." Corrin and Azura extending their left and right arms, respectively, and did as the man instructed. Laying the middle of the ribbon around their wrists, the priest wound the strip of satin three times around and then tied the ends together with a bowknot. "By the law of the land, and by the will of the gods, I now declare you man and wife!"

The crowd erupted into cheers. Leaning toward each other, Corrin and Azura kissed, and the crowd redoubled their cheering.

In the crowd, a hooded figure drew his cloak tighter around himself, a grim smile on his face before turning around and trudging away. "Live long, Corrin, and may your love deepen with every passing year," Gunter muttered formally before disappearing into the crowd.

Corrin and Azura turned towards the crowd and raised their joined arms skyward. "Let the feast begin!" Corrin declared.

Silas followed the pair as they descended from the hill and walked through the press of shouting people toward two chairs that had been set at the forefront of a row of tables. There Corrin and Lady Azura sat, as the king and queen of both their wedding and New Valla.

* * *

Hours passed as Corrin and Azura laughed and ate and drank and traded stories with friends. Wine flowed like water, and the wedding feast became ever more boisterous. Clearing a space between the tables, the men tested their prowess against one another with feats of archery and bouts with quarterstaffs, Laslow and Odin demonstrated their skill with swordplay—awing the onlookers with the sheer speed, grace, fluidity, and ferocity of their dancing blades.

Leo, in particular, was surprised to see Odin's skill with a Hoshidan katana. The trio had already explained the situation to them, yet even Leo never thought Odin to be the one to match Laslow's speed and fluidity with his own ferocity and unpredictability. It was with interest he noted how similarly Odin's fighting style matched that of the Hoshidans', despite being from another world.

Xander was surprised as well. As Laslow's—or Inigo's, rather—sword flashed in the sunlight, he recalled the first time he had dueled his friend. It as a hard bout, one of the most difficult in his life, to be sure, and yet Laslow had only shown the mere tip of the iceberg. Had the gray-haired man wanted, he could've defeated Xander in less than a few seconds, and coming from a man who had no formal tutoring, such a feat was worthy of a bard's tale in of itself.

Elise and Sakura work together in unison, creating a beautiful medley of Hoshidan and Nohrian music that blended the best parts of both cultures. It's a strange yet oddly beautiful symphony, and even the most die-hard of Nohrian or Hoshidan haters found themselves bobbing along to the beat of the music.

Azura and Corrin, of course, gets the first dance, and everybody laughs in joy when they see Azura, who was normally the quiet, demure, and reclusive one, utterly dominate Corrin in their intricate footwork. Soon enough, however, the guests slowly start filling in the dance floor, though they kept a respectable distance away from the newly-wedded couple.

Silas hissed in poorly disguised pain when Felicia's foot stamped down on his toes, and she immediately backed away.

"Oh! Did I hurt you?" she asked worriedly.

"Only a little bit," Silas admitted, though he shot her a small grin to make her feel better. "But don't worry. After that whole stint in Old Valla, I'm pretty sure even you can't compare to it."

Felicia pouted and slapped her husband's chest before resting her cool cheek on where she slapped him. "You're the worst, you know that?"

Silas chuckled and tightened his grip on his shoulder and hip, bringing her closer to him. "And you're the best."

* * *

Kaze, ever the observant ninja that he was, did not miss the fact that while the smile on Mozu's face was genuine, the frustrated scowl whenever she missed a step was equally so. And then he starts noticing other things about her, like how stiff her back was, or how tightly she gripped her shoulders and hand whenever they spun.

"What's wrong?" he asked in his smooth voice.

"Nothing," Mozu lied, despite knowing it would do nothing to fend off her beau. She glanced towards a group of haughty looking women laughing together, and Kaze's eyes narrowed as he realized that they seemed to be laughing towards  _her_.

"Is that so…" he mused before suddenly sweeping Mozu off her feet.

Mozu yelped in surprise and giddiness, and before she knew it, her eyes widened when she felt Kaze's lips upon her own. Breaking off and gasping for breath, she looked at Kaze in confusion.

"What was that for?" she asked.

Kaze said nothing but merely smiled and gestured with his head towards where the group of bullying women were. To Mozu's surprise—and secretly, satisfaction—all of the haughty women's jaw dropped as they realized just who the target of their bullying were.

Just as quickly, however, the group bustled away, doing their best to avoid eye contact with Mozu and Kaze, who, if possible, wore an even bigger smile of satisfaction on his face. Looking back up at Kaze, Mozu could feel nothing except the warmth of this sun in her chest as Kaze kissed her again.

* * *

"C'mon, Laslow! Why aren't you dancing!" Peri asked as she tried to pull her husband along.

Laslow tugged nervously at his shirt collar as he glanced at the stump where Peri's right leg was supposed to be.

"Why are  _you_  dancing?" he retorted. "And how are you even pulling me when you're missing a leg?"

Oops.

Peri froze at his words before she suddenly went slack, almost causing Laslow to fall. Realizing his mistake, he wrapped his arms around Peri and offered soft, cooing words of comfort into his wife's ear.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I forgot how much you hated your…how much you hated  _it_."

Peri said nothing but merely rubbed at her eyes with her sleeve, sniffling.

Corrin grimaced as he squeezed her even tighter.  _Oh, you damn fool_.

Pressing a kiss to her cheek, he said, even softer, "Please don't cry, Peri. If it makes you feel better, I'll dance with you, okay?"

"Okay!" Peri suddenly chirped, suddenly cheerful despite her earlier despondent attitude. "But only if you won't bring up Righty again!"

"Righty?" Laslow asked in confusion, looking at her leg again before the dots suddenly connected. "Oh!  _Righty!"_

Peri giggled childishly at the sight of her husband's new revelation. "Yep!" she chirped before tugging even more ferociously at Laslow's arm, nearly causing him to fall again. "Now, let's dance!"

* * *

"Lady Sakura."

Sakura looked down from the small raised platform she and Elise were performing to see Leo, bowing and extending a hand towards her.

"You look as lovely as always," he said. "Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?"

Sakura looked nervously towards Elise, and to her mortification, Elise nodded, a glint in her eye as she made kissy-kissy motions. Leo looked just as taken aback as Sakura was but managed to recover quickly.

"I see the chattering monkey also known as my sister has given you her consent," Leo said dryly.

Elise stuck her tongue out at him.

Sakura smiled shyly as she stepped down, taking Leo's hand for support. "I-I would like n-nothing less," she said and was immediately rewarded by one of the small grins Leo reserved specifically for her.

"Wonderful. Now, I'm not much a dancer myself, but I have taken upon myself the task of studying the art of artistic footwork when I was a child, so hopefully I still remember the lessons my tutor whipped into me."

Sakura gasped. "D-did he actually—"

"Of course not," Leo said, smiling. "If there was ever a kingdom where people could get away with whipping the royal children, I've yet to read about it."

Sakura gaped at Leo but was unable to hold back the sudden fit of giggles within herself, and before he knew it, Leo joined in as well as they spiraled around each other in their dance.

* * *

Takumi scowled as he watched Azura being twirled around in Corrin's arms. Part of him knew that he was being petty, that he only disliked Corrin because he didn't like him when they first met, yet he was unable to erase the memories of his mother's body following Corrin's first transformation.

"Takumi? Takumi? Jiro's talking to you."

Takumi flinched at the sound of Oboro's voice. "Huh? What'd you say?"

"I said that you were being a terrible listener and that Lord Jiro was talking to you," Oboro deadpanned as she idly twirled a chopstick around her finger.

"Oh. Right, sorry," Takumi said embarrassingly as he turned back towards Jiro. "Now, what were you saying?"

The fat Hoshidan daimyo raised an eyebrow at Takumi's sudden lapse in attention. "Are you alright, my prince? You seemed oddly…angry towards King Corrin."

"I'm not," Takumi growled, even as he unconsciously clenched his fists. "I…simply have a certain disposition towards my step-brother."

"Your step-brother?" Jiro asked in surprise. "Tell me, what is the relationship between him and the rest of the Hoshidan and Nohrian royals?"

Takumi glowered visibly as Oboro laid a soothing arm on his shoulder. "What he was about to say, was that's complicated. You remember Queen Mikoto and Queen Ikona, do you not?"

"Of course!" Jiro said. "You may not remember, but I was once a close friend to both of them."

"Well," Oboro said, "long story short, before Queen Mikoto became queen, she was King Sumeragi's concubine, but after Takumi's youngest sister, Sakura, was born, Queen Ikona died due to complications during the birth. Meanwhile, Queen Mikoto had a son named Kamui, which was King Corrin's Hoshidan name. After Queen Ikona's death, Queen Mikoto became, you know, the queen. After that, you know what happened. Garon was possessed by Anankos, who used him to kill Sumeragi, steal away Kamui, renamed him to Corrin, and everything else after that is history."

"Kamui, huh?" Jiro mused, rubbing his chin. "No wonder why he looked so familiar at first. I remembered Queen Mikoto having a son named Kamui at some point, but then he mysteriously disappeared. So then the Nohrian royals are his step-family, I suppose."

"Yep," Takumi said, still seething underneath. "After we rescued him from Nohr's clutches, turns out he still held some loyalty towards them even after all Hoshido did for him."

"But surely, if they are his step-family, and he did not know about this whole situation, at least from what I've heard, then would it not make sense for him to connect more closely to Nohr than Hoshido, right?" Jiro asked. "I know I would."

"Exactly," Oboro said, looking pointedly at Takumi who had returned to glaring at Corrin and Azura. "Unfortunately,  _someone_  looks like they can't let go."

Takumi ignored her as Jiro pursed his lips, recognizing the grave he was currently digging himself into. "Ah. I see," he said before hastily excusing himself to go to the "lavatory."

As the fat Hoshidan man disappeared into the crowd, Oboro turned and slapped Takumi's arm. Wincing, Takumi turned his gaze from Corrin and Azura onto Oboro.

"What was that for?" he hissed, barely managing to keep his voice level.

"What do you think?" Oboro retorted. "We're here, celebrating your step-brother's  _wedding_ , for gods' sake, and all you can do is glare at him! Yeah, I get it, he hurt you before, but that was a long time ago! By this point, you're only hurting yourself if you don't forgive him!"

"And why would he want to forgive someone like me?" Takumi replied. "It still doesn't excuse the fact that he killed my mother."

"She was his mother too!" Oboro argued, though she kept her voice low. "And unlike you, she was his actual mother! If anything, he has more of a reason to grieve than you do, and besides, that was a long time ago too! Not saying this kind of loss gets easier—it doesn't—but you can at least forgive him, can't you?"

"I can't," Takumi said miserably, looking despondently down at Oboro. "I wouldn't expect you to understand, Oboro, I really don't. My entire life, I've been waiting to meet the brother my mother always compared me to, and yet when he returned home, the first thing he did was break her heart, and the second thing he did was to turn his back on us."

"He turned his back on Nohr too, you know," Oboro pointed out. "And the only reason he broke Queen Mikoto's heart was because she saw how distressed you were at the fact that Corrin came to Hoshido as Corrin, not Kamui."

"You wouldn't understand," Takumi said again, shaking his head and walking away.

"I think it's you who's not understanding!" Oboro argued as she followed Takumi. "You're always wrapped up in this feeling of feeling inferior compared to Lord Corrin, yet—"

"That's enough," Takumi snapped, glaring back at Oboro. "As your liege, I  _order_  you to remain here and save my spot at that table."

"But—"

"That's an order," Takumi said with finality before turning around and striding into the crowd towards the food table. Oboro could only watch helplessly.

* * *

"Hey. Drink this. You look terrible."

Owain looked up to see Severa shoving a cup of what looked like wine into his hands. The redhead looked oddly concerned for once, though upon noticing Owain staring back at her, quickly put back on her normal demeanor.

"Or not," she snapped. "You could just have me waste my time by not taking the drink I brought you."

"It's fine," Owain said, tiredly taking the cup and drinking from. Almost immediately, he gagged.

"What is this…vile substance?" he spluttered, peering into the liquid's depths to ensure it wasn't poisoned.

"It's wine," Severa said dourly, though her expression softened on Owain's crestfallen expression. "Can't stand it too, huh?"

Owain shook his head and after glancing around to make sure nobody was looking at them, casually dumped the contents of the cup into a nearby potted plant.

"Owain!" Severa scolded. "Are you actually daft?"

Owain looked at her and rose an eyebrow. "'Owain?' Since when did you of all people start referring to me by my birth name?"

"I-I—shut up!" Severa stamped her foot and looked away petulantly.

Owain considered ribbing her a little bit more, but decided against and uncharacteristically leaned back against the wall, sliding down it until he was sitting on the floor. Severa looked down as she too picked up on his unusual somber demeanor.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concern shining through.

Owain shook his head but looked towards where Laslow and Peri were dancing together. Despite his friend's earlier misgivings about his wife ability to dance following her injury, Peri proved to be more than capable of moving along to the beat, and soon enough, both of them were laughing as they twirled around each other.

Severa followed Owain's gaze, and her expression softened further. "You're afraid Inigo's going to stay behind, aren't you?"

Owain nodded. "We've been through so much together, yet this is the reason why we part? It's…it's a little bit hard to take in."

"Wow," Severa noted dourly. "You must be pretty upset for you to start talking normally."

Owain looked at her. "Long have I known that by coming here, it would mean tearing apart my soul and body again, and I thought I could bear it. I mean, my mother and father died when I was young, and up until now, I never thought I would experience such a feeling again."

Severa pursed her lips, unsure of what to say. Instead, she opted to simply rest her hand on Owain's shoulder.

"Mother?"

Severa looked up to see Caeldori peering down at her with wide eyes. She was barely a teenager when she accompanied them into Valla, and with every passing day, Severa could see the resemblance between her and her own mother.

"Yes Caeldori? What's wrong?"

"Are…are you alright? You're crying."

Severa's hand reached up to her face to wipe away the tears she had been unconsciously shedding. "I was totally not," she said defensively, though with a smile. "I…I simply felt my eyes were too dry just then."

"Likely story," Owain snorted as he stood back up, dusting off his pants.

"As if you could think of a better lie on the spot," Severa countered, standing up as well. Turning towards her daughter, she asked, "Is there anything you need?"

Caeldori shifted uncomfortably. "Well, Elise said that she could let me play on her violin for a bit, but I wasn't sure if you would let me, so I came to ask."

Severa blinked. "Oh. Uh, yeah! Of course you can. Just make sure you don't break it, alright?"

Caeldori beamed and pumped a fist triumphantly. "Yes! Thank you, mother!"

"She takes after you, you know," Owain noted as Caeldori sped away. "Same red hair, same prickly personality, same… _Severa-ness_."

"She got her hair from Subaki," Severa said hollowly, unconsciously taking out the sketch of her, Subaki, and Caeldori together from her pocket and looking wistfully from it. "She got everything from Subaki."

Noting how fragile her voice suddenly sounded, Owain rested a hand on Severa's shoulder, and to his surprise, she clung to it like it was her lifeline. Together, the two time-travelers stood silently, until Owain broke the silence again by asking, "What about you? Have you decided on your future?"

Severa wiped her eyes. "Depends," she said simply.

"On?"

"On what you decide to do," Severa elaborated. "If Subaki was here…maybe, just maybe, my answer would've been different, but with him gone…there's nothing for me and Caeldori here. Caeldori looks more Hoshidan than either of us, and if I continue following Lady Camilla, who knows what the Nohrians will do to her." She sighed heavily. "As for Caeldori…I'm afraid that Subaki and I made a mistake in having her this early. She grew up isolated and alone. It would do her good to experience our home for once. But you haven't answered my question yet, Owain. What are  _you_  going to do?"

"I'm going back home," Owain said. "There's…there is still much to do back home, and I'm reasonably confident that Lord Corrin and Lady Azura can handle things while we're gone. That, and…well, the thing you said about having nothing here…Unlike you or Inigo, I have no spouse to call my own, nor children. I have even less than you."

"I thought you hated leaving Inigo here?" Severa asked. "Have you magically changed your mind all of a sudden?"

"There is no such thing as magic," Owain said dully. "Only the ability to manipulate the energy around us."

"Don't change the subject!" Severa snapped.

Owain deflated as he leaned back against the wall. "In a way…yes, I despise being separated from Inigo, but he has a family here. A wife. A life! It would be cruel to both him and Peri for us to force him to come with us."

Severa nodded. "You're right," she noted. "It would be pretty unfair…"

Again, the two time-travelers fell back into silence, and again, Owain broke it by asking a question.

"Do you still have it?"

"Of course. Do you?"

Owain nodded, lifting away a patch of clothing to reveal a crystal hidden away in a fold of cloth that would normally be nigh-on impossible to see. "When…when do you think would be a good time for our…departure?"

Severa pursed her lips. "I'm…not sure. We said we would stay long enough to help with rebuilding, and we have, but if we stay any longer…"

"We'll never leave," Owain finished.

"Exactly," Severa agreed.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Next month?"

"What?"

"What do you say about us leaving at the beginning of next month?"

"…sounds…good."

Owain sighed. "Then next month it is then. Three weeks until we say goodbye."


	3. Featherweights and Featherbeds

 

"Isn't that your fifth cup of sake?" Azura asked as Corrin brought the cup to his lips.

"What of it?" he replied gently before downing the cup in one go. "It's not going to kill me, is it?"

Azura watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed before looking and shaking her head. "You know, sake is the just the Nohrian version of wine, right?"

"Is it?" Corrin asked curiously as he looked at the empty bottle in front of him. "Then how come it's not doing anything?"

Azura rose an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I read about in books that people who usually drink stuff like this usually end up feeling dizzy or lightheaded," Corrin explained, swishing about the contents of the bottle. "Yet I feel none of those things."

"Hmm. That is pretty weird," Azura agreed as she squeezed his hand. Even after all these hours since the wedding reception started, the red ribbon tying them together was still entwined around their wrists, and as the sun touched the horizon, a dull fluttering sensation started to ache within her stomach and chest. A fluttering sensation that seemed intensify whenever Corrin squeezed her hand or kissed her. She liked it.

And she wanted more.

Suddenly, Azura sat up straight and pressed a finger against Corrin's lips to prevent him from taking another sip. "I know! Maybe it's because of your draconic blood?"

"What do you mean?" Corrin asked, looking pointedly around himself.

Taking heed of the warning despite the fact that most of the people next to them were either still eating, busy talking with their friends, or just outright passed out, Azura still lowered her voice. "I think it's because of your draconic blood, and your metabolism is faster. That's why you can't drunk as easily, if at all."

Corrin looked down at the empty bottle. "Well that explains a lot," he said, setting the bottle aside. "Guess that explains why it just felt like I was drinking water. Lots of water. Only that the water tasted really bitter."

"You're not a drinker, are you Corrin?" Azura noted as she laid her head on his shoulder.

Corrin shrugged and shook his head, jostling Azura. "I mean, there was one time where I took a sip of wine out of Xander's glass. I guess the beating afterward turned me off from drinking for a very long time."

Azura said nothing but merely hummed in contentment, her eyes closed.

"Speaking of which," Corrin said suddenly, looking around, "where is the closest bathroom? I think drinking five—no, six—cups of sake is unhealthy for anybody's bladder."

"Hm?" Azura asked as she opened her eyes. "Isn't there one in your room or something?"

"Yeah, but—"

"How about we  _see it_  together then?" Azura asked seductively, fluttering her eyelashes. "I'm getting tired of wearing this dress anyways."

Corrin blinked, unused to Azura being this forward. Usually, it was the other way around. "Er—have you been drinking?"

"Only one or two cups," Azura admitted as she rested her free hand on Corrin's shoulder, playing with the fringes of his hair. "Now, shall we?"

Corrin looked towards the crowd. Felicia and Flora were both asleep already, though Jakob and Kaze were both keeping a faithful watch over both of them. Judging by the way Kaze was swaying, however, Corrin reckoned the ninja also had some drinks of his own, though Jakob remained as stiff and professional as ever.

Elise and Sakura had both retired already, and while Takumi and Leo remained awake, judging by how slurred their speech was and the increasingly ridiculous boasts made by both of them regarding  _chess_ and  _shogi_ , for heaven's sake, Corrin could also tell they wouldn't last much longer. Oboro and Hinata were both completely conked out, and Niles was apparently taking on trying to shoot an arrow through an apple placed on the two retainer's head while drunk as a personal challenge.

Thankfully, Laslow and Odin both managed to tackle the archer to the ground before he managed to loose his first arrow.

"Yeah, sure. Sounds good," Corrin agreed as he rose up.

Azura did the same, and though a good amount of the crowd is too drunk to notice their king and queen rising, those who did cheered loudly.

"Make a mess out of her!" Niles hooted before being tackled to the ground again by Laslow and Odin.

"Go—go get 'er!" Silas slurred, a burp interrupting him mid-sentence. He swayed in his chair next to Felicia before promptly falling asleep.

"What was Niles talking about, making a mess out of you?" Corrin asked Azura. For some reason, she was blushing furiously, though there was an anticipating smile on her face.

"I'll explain it when you're older," she said playfully as they walked through the corridor leading to Corrin's room.

Right as the door leading to Corrin's chamber came into view, a sudden swarm of maids came out of nowhere, surrounding them and pulling Azura away.

"Sorry, milord," one of the maids, a stout-looking matron, said apologetically. "Wedding dresses are very expensive and delicate, and getting her out of the dress requires a  _lot_  of effort. It's not a two-man job if you want to get it off quickly, if you know what I mean."

Corrin blinked as the red ribbon fell away, though the maids made sure to step around it. "Uh, yeah. Sure."

"Don't worry about me!" Azura said as she disappeared around the corner. "Just do your thing! I'll meet you in your room."

Corrin watched as Azura disappeared while the old maid stooped down and picked up the ribbon before placing it back in Corrin's hand. Corrin accepted the gestured, though somewhat mollified.

"Just make sure she can walk tomorrow, will you milord?" the maid said before following the rest of her group around the corner.

Corrin looked down at the ribbon and back up, now completely alone in the corridor. "Why do people keep saying things like something's bad going to happen to her…?"

* * *

Corrin sighed in contentment as he flops himself onto the new bed the servants had brought in to replace his old one during the wedding. Unlike his old one, his new one was much softer and comfortable, most likely because of Azura's own preference. All Corrin knew was that so long as it was more comfortable than the miserable wooden plank he had when he was first kidnapped by Nohr, it was a bed.

His armor stood proudly on a nearby armor stand by the balcony window, and his cape was draped over the chair. He was mostly clad in a simple white shirt and loose pants, and his hair was damp from his recent washing.

"Where is she?" he wondered out loud to himself.

Just as the words left his mouth, the door to his room opened, and Corrin turned his head to see a familiar woman walking towards him, clad only in a short nightgown.

"You look like you're getting comfortable," Azura said affectionately as she laid down next to him.

"What took you so long?" Corrin asked as he sat up. Azura did the same.

Blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes, Azura said somewhat exasperatedly, " _Apparently,_ wedding dresses are about as complicated as Odin's normal way of speaking, which meant it took a while. You know how I was wearing a corset during the wedding and party?"

"Nope," Corrin answered, gawking unashamedly at Azura's long and smooth legs. "Did not know."

Azura rolled her eyes upon noticing what Corrin was distracted by. "Well, I was wearing a corset, but one of the maids tucked the laces  _into_  the actual corset instead of leaving them free, like you're supposed to, which meant the maids had to cut me out. It also explained why I kept feeling this weird bumpon my back all the time."

"That doesn't sound good," Corrin agreed absentmindedly as he continued to ogle Azura. This time, his eyes shifted up to where her dress hiked up when she crossed her legs, and the pearly white skin of her legs and arms exposed by her nightgown shining in the moonlight.

Azura rolled her eyes again, and though she would never admit it, the whole time she was talking, she was doing the same to Corrin. The two of them continued looking at each other before Corrin suddenly shook his head and sat up, his eyes now alert.

"Uh, what were you saying?" he asked. "Something about a nightgown?"

Azura shook her head as she pulled her pendant off around her neck and set it on the nightstand next to the bed. "You're hopeless," she said.

"Uh-huh," Corrin said.

_Now how to set the mood..._

"So, how was your day?"

_You're a fool sometimes, you know, Corrin?_

Fortunately, Azura smiled and laid her head against Corrin's shoulder. "It was pretty good. Attended a wedding, drank one or two cups of sake, ate a lot of food—oh—and I also met this  _wonderful_  man today. Turns out he was the groom, and he was really nice and handsome and loving and—"

Azura cut herself off by blushing and covering her mouth with her hands. "Well, enough about me. What about you? How was your day?"

Corrin shrugged as he rubbed the back of his head. "It…it was pretty good. Got married, had a lot of fun."

"Oh? Who'd you get married to?" Azura asked teasingly.

Corrin tugged at his collar, suddenly conscious of how close Azura was to him. Was it just him, or was she leaning closer to him? And why was she fluttering her eyelashes all of a sudden. And why did everything feel so hot all of a sudden?

"Uh, t-this really wonderful woman," Corrin stammered. "I think you'll know her. Her name is Azura, and she's the most w-wonderful person I've ever met."

"What's she's like?" Azura asked, her voice dropping lower and lower. She was  _definitely_  leaning in closer to him.

"Uh, she's really b-beautiful and pretty," Corrin said, stuttering. "Um, she's also r-really nice and caring and k-kind. Oh, she's also a r-really great dancer and singer. D-did I say that's she's really beautiful and pretty?"

Azura rested a finger on her chin as she cheekily rose an eyebrow. "Oh, I don't know. I don't think so."

"Huh," Corrin replied. "Well, she is definitely b-beautiful and pretty and all those other things I said about her."

"She sounds like a wonderful woman," Azura said, pushing Corrin back onto the bed so that he was laying down. "I feel almost jealous."

"You know what's the best part about her though?" Corrin continued, allowing Azura to move him.

"Hm?"

"She's in this room right now," Corrin said cheekily. "Right next to—hey, wait a minute, why am I lying back down on the bed? I thought I was sitting up?"

Azura shushed him by placing a finger over his lips. Her hand was splayed right next to Corrin's head to hold herself up while her free hand rested on Corrin's chest. Her legs were entwined around Corrin's.

"You're so cute when you're like this," she cooed. "Don't worry, I'll take  _good_  care of you."

Corrin shivered. "Eh, please don't. You're sounding like Camilla, and I'm not liking it."

The haze dropped from Azura's vision as she blinked in surprise. "Oh! I-I'm sorry! I didn't know you—"

"It's fine," Corrin sighed. Seemingly of their own accord, Corrin's hands found themselves resting on Azura's hips.

Noticing his presence as well, Azura shifted so that she was sitting directly on top of him, her legs on either side of him. One of her hands rested on Corrin's shoulder and the other on his chest. Likewise, one of Corrin's hands rested on her hips and another brushed her hair out of her face. His hand burned against her skin, and almost without thinking, Azura shifted her hips forward, causing Corrin to suddenly moan.

Immediately, however, he clamped his hand over his mouth as he stared at Azura. "Sorry," he squeaked, his face redder than she had ever seen before. "I-I didn't—"

"It's fine, Corrin," Azura said soothingly as she brought her face closer to his. "I've been waiting for this for a long time. I'm ready for it."

"W-wait, you have?" Corrin asked. "Since when?"

Azura shyly smiled as she lifted up Corrin's shirt so that he laid before her bare-chested. "About a month or so after I met you," she admitted. "Trust me, Corrin, if a woman is behaving like this when she's normally…you know, like me, you can bet that whatever you're about to do her, she's ready for it."

"Oh…" Corrin said. A look of pure surprise broke out across his features as he realized what was about to happen. " _Oh!_ Is that what Silas and Niles meant by making a mess out of you? Is it a part of whatever we're about to do?"

"Well, yes, but actually no," Azura said, shifting her hips forward just so she could hear Corrin gasp again. That fluttering feeling in her chest and stomach soon returned, this time in full force. Nothing was about to stop what was going to happen.

"Granted, I'm not ready for  _that_  level yet," Azura admitted, "but I'm perfectly fine with what we have right now."

"A-are you sure?" Corrin asked, reluctantly replacing his hand back on Azura's hip. A third shift in her pelvis caused him to shiver again. "J-just tell me if I hurt you or if you feel pain.  _Any_  sort of pain, okay?"

Azura smiled as she tugged off Corrin's pants before sliding her own undergarments off her leg and slinging them over her shoulder. Already, Corrin stood at rigid attention, and she could feel a knowing… _dampness_  between her thighs.

"Don't worry," she said lustfully as she kissed Corrin fully on the lips. "I will."

He said nothing but merely kissed her back equally as fully before allowing Azura to settle herself over him.

* * *

" _Aah…Hnn…nngh…"_

" _Oh gods C-Corrin! F-fuck!"_

" _A-am I…hurting…"_

" _N-no…k-keep going!"_

" _A-Azura!"_

" _C-Corrin!"_

" _I-I'm—"_

" _Me t-too! I-I'm…c…I'm...—oh fuck!"_

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"A…Azura?"

Azura's eyes slowly opened as she took a huge gulp of air, her bare chest heaving for air against Corrin's in light of their most recent "activity." Both of their skins shone with sweat in the moonlight.

"Y-yes?" she asked. Her voice was still in that breathy high-pitched tone, and for some reason, she liked it.

"You…you okay?" he asked.

She twisted around and kissed Corrin sweetly on the cheek. "Never better," she said cheekily before slowly easing herself off of Corrin.

Sucking in a breath at the beautiful mess they've made, Azura reached for a nearby rag. "That…that was memorable," she said as she cleaned herself and Corrin. "You did pretty good, considering it was hopefully your first time."

"Yeah…" Corrin said sleepily, his eyes slowly closing. "In…credible…"

Azura tossed the rag to a corner of a room. Part of her wondered if they should leave a note for the maids to  _not_  touch that rag, but another part of her decided she was too lazy. For now, she was simply content with spending more time with Corrin.

"Corrin?" she called questioningly.

All she received was a gentle snore in response.

Smiling, she gently threw the covers over themselves before cuddling in next to Corrin, his heartbeat in her ear, her legs entwined around his, and her fingers wrapped around his.

* * *

When Corrin woke, the first thing he noticed was the tuft of hair in his mouth. The second thing he noticed was the lack of feeling his right arm. Looking over, Corrin saw Azura sleeping peacefully beside him, her sides rising and falling as she breathed.

Corrin smiled gently at the sight of seeing her so relaxed for once, before realizing why he couldn't feel his right arm. Corrin could just barely make out his fingertips peeking out from underneath Azura's hair and wiggled them experimentally. To his concern, they did not move.

"Azura!" he said, shaking her with his left arm. "Azura!"

Azura mumbled something along the lines of "five more minutes" before her eyes snapped open when Corrin kicked at her from beneath their covers.

"What? What!" she said, apparently annoyed.

"My…arm," Corrin said feebly, attempting to move it again.

Azura frowned in confusion, her golden eyes glistening in the morning sunlight. "Your…arm?" she said questioningly. "What about it?"

Suddenly, her eyes widened and she twisted around to look at what she had been sleeping on the entire night. Sure enough, tangled in the long locks of her hair was Corrin's arm, red and creased from where Azura had slept on it. Corrin sighed in relief as he pulled his arm away, though when he stood back up, he found it felt like less of a limb and more of a heavy metal pipe hanging uselessly.

"Uh, Azura?" he called.

Azura's froze. "Yes?" she replied hesitatingly.

"I can't feel my arm. Is it supposed to be this floppy?"

Azura looked over, habitually clutching the cover to her naked chest to preserve her modesty out of habit and was promptly greeted by the sight of Corrin swinging his arm around like a sort of club. Corrin looked up at her with that confused puppy-eyed look as he smashed his hand into the nightstand on his side of the bed.

"Corrin!" Azura scolded, crawling over to him and taking his arm in her hands.

"Was…is this supposed to happen after what we did last night?" Corrin asked.

"No! No, it's actually my fault," Azura said as she absentmindedly massaged Corrin's wrist. "You…you fell asleep like, almost immediately after we finished, and when I fell asleep, I guess I must've slept on your arm which is why it you can't feel it. The blood wasn't able to properly pump to your arm, which explains the numbness."

"Oh. How long will it take for it to work again?" Corrin asked, trying to move his fingers again. The tips moved, but only slightly.

"Just give it a few minutes," Azura said, releasing his hand and getting up from their bed to dress herself.

As Azura began the arduous process of brushing her hair, Corrin asked, "So how was it?"

"How was what?" she asked back.

"Last night," Corrin said, turning away. He was dressed in a simple white button-up with a black vest and gray pants. Azura decided she rather liked this kind of attire. After seeing Corrin in that black and white form-fitting armor almost all the time, seeing him in something normal for once was...nice, to say the least.

Despite not being to see his face from where she sat in front of the nightstand, she knew he was smiling and blushing as the memories of their consummation caught up to him.

"It was lovely," Azura said truthfully as her hand dropped to the area between her groin and stomach. There was a dull ache between her legs, but despite the dull pain, it also felt…pleasurable—satisfying even, to know that Corrin had been inside of her.

"Are you sure?" Corrin asked teasingly. Azura gasped in surprise when he suddenly wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. Instinctively, Azura closed her eyes and arched her back when Corrin pressed a kiss to her neck.

"I'm sure," Azura managed to whisper before returning the favor. As Corrin gasped, she whispered, "And I'll be waiting for a repeat performance later, if you're willing to  _sing_  for me again."

Corrin simply smiled and hummed deep in his chest. "Only if you promise to dance for me again."

Azura laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh my gods! You're so cheesy!"

"I know," Corrin said simply. "But that's the part you love the most about me, isn't it?"

"...quiet, you."


	4. Please, No More

" _You look like you've been through some shit."_

" _Can it. And gimme a beer while 'yer shuttin' 'yer mouth."_

" _That's not how things work in the Yato, you know. Usually, people say 'please,' before they ask someone to shut up. That, or I end up wiping the blood off the table later."_

" _Ugh, fine._ Please _gimme a beer."_

" _Much better. That'll be four gold, thank you very much."_

"… _hmph."_

"… _You went to the wedding?"_

"' _course I did. Wouldn't be a true Vallite if I didn't."_

" _You change your mind about our king yet?"_

" _Y'know the answer already. She d'serves the throne, an' not him. Still though…"_

" _What? You suddenly feel happy for him or what?"_

" _How could I not? Boy just got hitched, didn' he? Y'gotta be a right heartless bastard to look at someone on their weddin' day 'n say 'wish that bitch was dead.'"_

" _You married before?"_

" _Tch. Once upon a time."_

" _What happened? Oh, wait a sec. Him."_

" _Yeah,_ him _. Took m'wife and kids along with 'im too."_

" _I'm…I'm sorry. I didn't realize."_

" _Yeah, well, y'can shove it. I told you the firs' time, I ain't about the 'sorry 'bout' your loss' kinda guy."_

" _I know, it's just…I'm sorry. I lost my father when I was young, and it crushed me. Can't imagine what you went through."_

" _Yeah, well…there's a reason' why I'm always here."_

* * *

**Please, No More**

Being married was…interesting.

On one hand, most aspects, such as sharing food or working together was something both Azura and Corrin were more than familiar. Being almost glued at the hip at all times towards the end of the war meant they were very well-versed with each other's likes and dislikes; yet on the other hand, despite Azura thinking that she knew Corrin almost inside and out, there were still some parts about him that surprised her, even as there were still some parts about  _her_  that surprised him.

In fact, there were even things about herself that even  _she_  didn't know about.

For example, both Azura and Corrin knew that Corrin would most likely be the cuddler out of the two of them, but what surprised them both was Azura's own iron grip while sleeping. Even Azura was surprised at the angry red marks she left on Corrin's hand or arms whenever they woke up, but nothing prepared them for the other's wanting kisses and embraces in the dead of night.

Surprisingly, Azura who was more wanting. Contrary to Corrin's initial beliefs, and despite Azura's claims, the two of had found the blunette to be the more dominant one in bed. Corrin said that he didn't mind Azura being more dominant, since it made things easier for him (he had added a smarmy wink before Azura swiftly elbowed him).

Secretly though, however, Azura enjoyed being the one to make him gasp in ecstasy, and there was always something soothing about feeling something so solid and loving beneath her whenever she was at her most vulnerable.

But gods be damned before she admitted anything of the sort to Corrin.

* * *

"That…that was enjoyable."

Corrin grunted as he flopped down next to Azura. He pressed a kiss to her neck, causing her to wriggle in joy.

"You…you said the same thing last time," he panted, sweat gleaming off his brow in the fireplace following their most recent lovemaking session.

"I know," Azura said mischievously, rolling over so that she was on top of him again. "But that's the simple truth, you know. There's simply no other words to describe my…my…"

"Your satisfaction?" Corrin offered, struggling to keep his eyelids open.

That was another thing Azura had discovered about Corrin. Every time they 'finished,' so to speak, she always found Corrin drifting off to sleep, leaving her to be one to clean up after themselves. She had no idea whether or not that was because he was half-dragon, or simply a by product of being male, but either way, she had no intention of asking anyone else.

Plus, it was always a treat to see Corrin dozing peacefully.

Azura took a moment to pretend to think, frowning and furrowing her eyebrows while tapping her chin with a finger. "Yes, I think 'satisfying' would be another word to describe my enjoyment of you."

Corrin laughed, though his chuckle soon faded away. "Yeah, well…"

 _That was a whole minute,_  Azura noted mentally to herself.  _A brand-new record._

Azura's own smile faded away at the look of sudden consternation on Corrin's face. He was frowning, his brow furrowed in that way every time he was deep in thoughts. It was a sight Azura had only seen him wear during the war, and she did not want to see such an expression so soon especially during their honeymoon.

"Hey," she said gently, cupping his cheeks in her hands and forcing him to look at her in the eyes. Gold met red beautifully, and in the dying light from the fire place, Corrin's eyes were almost a shade of maroon while Azura's own golden eyes seemed to be of a simple amber color.

"Don't fall asleep just yet," she ordered, gently flicking the tips of Corrin's ears.  _That_  woke him up, and Azura made a mental note in her mind about the best way to keep Corrin awake in the future.

"Ah!" Corrin yelped, instinctively twisting away from her and nearly kicking Azura off their bed. "What? What is it?"

Azura squeaked as she barely managed to keep herself covered and sealed away from the cold of the night. "Careful!" she scolded. "You almost kicked me onto the floor!"

"S-sorry," Corrin apologized sheepishly. In the firelight, sweat gleamed off his toned torso, and Azura's gaze automatically dropped down to the scar on his stomach.

Without thinking, Azura reached out to run her hand over it. Corrin froze when her cool fingers found him but relaxed as soon as he realized what she was doing. Ever since their first time, Azura had taken a newfound interest in exploring every inch of his body, and he always obliged her, but the one aspect she always came back to was the scar on the stomach where he had saved her from a Faceless that had been about to kill her.

"Do you remember?" Azura asked, her voice scarcely more than a whisper over the crackling of the flames. "Do you remember how you got this scar?"

"Of course," Corrin said, equally as tenderly. "I also remember what came out of it. A trip to the infirmary and the love of my life declaring her love for me."

Normally, Azura would have smiled and blushed at his honeyed words, but not tonight. Tonight, she cupped Corrin's face in her hands again and pulled his head towards her chest.

Corrin blushed as he realized that Azura was still stark naked save for the blankets covering the lower half of her body, but Azura did not seem to care. She pulled him close to her chest, where he could hear the beat of her heartbeat, still pulsing faster than usual following their activity.

"What's wrong?" she whispered, gently stroking the back of Corrin's head.

Corrin wrestled with the answer for a moment before deciding the best way would be to be blunt. It was, after all, Azura's own preferred method of offering support.

"It's nothing big," Corrin said, causing Azura to look down at him, a sharp look of disapproval on her face.

"But it's also nothing small!" Corrin added hastily. "I…I was just thinking about how long we've been married. Three, four days now?"

"It's been a  _week_ , Corrin," Azura chided softly. Sometimes, despite being the one to lead two armies of vastly different cultures against a kingdom nobody had known about, and despite being a massive bookworm and scholar at heart, Corrin could be almost pathetically absentminded sometimes. "We've been married to each other for nearly  _seven days_. Eight days, once midnight passes tonight."

"Has it?" Corrin asked, frowning before suddenly shrugging. "Eh, it doesn't matter. I-I mean it does! B-but all I wanted to see was…how many times have we, you know…done the  _thing_?"

"I'd…I'd say around something close to ten or so," Azura said. After each session, that dull pain between Azura's legs slowly faded into nothing, and now it was always a constant part of her, much like how her habit and pendant was, at least up until her marriage. Even after so many times, the pain never failed to satisfy Azura with the knowledge that only Corrin was allowed in such a vulnerable place.

"Why?"

Corrin twisted his gaze away from her to gaze at the balcony, where a small round table and two chairs had been set up for Azura and Corrin's use outside.

"I…I may have been catching up on some of my old anatomy textbooks," Corrin started to say, blushing and glancing away.

"Okay…and?"

Corrin looked back at her. "I don't think I'm ready yet. For both kids and another session."

Azura frowned. "W-what? What are you saying?"

Corrin shifted underneath her, and Azura recognized it as a subtle sign of him wanting Azura off of him. Without hesitation, she slid off him though she kept her hand wrapped around his fingers. To her relief, he did not pull away from that as well, and in fact tightened his grip on her hands.

Kicking his legs over the edge of the bed, Corrin sat on the edge of the bed, hands clasped together and shoulders hunched as he looked back out the window. "We've…been doing it a lot recently, and…and I sort of want a break, you know? Not saying it's not getting any less enjoyable or satisfying, as you would say…but it's also getting…less…how do I put this? Less...less  _special_ , you know?"

Azura's lips turned downward. "Are…are you saying that you don't want anymore?" she asked.

"Oh, I do," Corrin said, a brief smile cracking through his expression to lighten the mood. "I'm definitely looking forward to spending more time in bed with you…but I think I'm going to need a break for a little while. It's actually starting to get sort of painful for me, and I have no idea how you can stand it so much."

Azura frowned unhappily and cupped Corrin's cheek in her hand again. As he closed his eyes and pressed back against the palm of her hand, Azura said, "If it was hurting you, then why didn't you say anything?"

Corrin cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, it didn't hurt all the time. I guess you can think of it as...a sign that I'm not ready to have an heir yet—that  _we're_  not ready to have an heir yet."

Azura laughed at that last part, though her voice was tempered by that of concern. "Don't worry, Corrin, she said soothingly. She sat down next to him, their legs touching and shoulders pressed against each other. "There's things a woman can do to prevent becoming with child, you know. There's no risk of us becoming parents within a month of marrying each other."

"That's good," Corrin said, relieved. "Though I'm still unsure as to how those 'methods' of yours work."

"You don't need to know," Azura said cheekily as she tugged playfully at Corrin's shoulders. "Now, cuddle please? I know you don't want to have sex right now, but that still means we can cuddle at least, right?"

Corrin chuckled though he allowed Azura to drag him down. "Gods, you really are needy sometimes, you know that?"

"I do," Azura said, her eyes sparkling with mirth in the darkness. "I need you."

"Tch—and you call me cheesy," Corrin replied as he nestled his head over Azura's chest.

"That's because you are," Azura replied, stroking Corrin's hair.

Only a hum of contentment was all Corrin deigned to respond with.


	5. Lakeside Cabin

Corrin whistled appreciatively as the cabin slowly appeared over the crest of the hill.

"That's…that's…quite impressive," he admitted, urging his horse to a halt so he and Azura could take in the view.

Likewise, Azura also seemed similarly impressed expression as she stopped next to Corrin. Like Corrin, she also wore an expression of amazement and pleasure on her face, though for once, it was Azura who seemed more excited about their most recent honeymoon destination than Corrin, which was saying something considering how much Corrin had jumped around upon learning about their destination.

Before laid them laid a small log cabin built in a round open grass field, on a small hill next to a lake located in the middle of a thick coniferous forest. The house itself was surrounded by a wooden fence with a wooden gate, and there were a few patches of moss growing on the cabin walls, giving it a very natural and calming feel. The house itself was nothing special—just a single-story log cabin with a terrace at the entrance and a balcony in the back overlooking the lake, but that wasn't what Azura and Corrin were concerned about—what they were more concerned about was the  _view._

There was a small patch of pine trees between the cabin and the actual lake itself, but even from their angle, Corrin and Azura could see the gorgeous snow-capped mountains in the distance and the luscious green trees ringing the azure lake. A series of small wooden pathways lined the lakeshore, creating trails into the green forest. Above them, the sky was cerulean blue with only a few wisps of white clouds scattered here and there. The sun glinted off the water, and the two of them couldn't help but sit there and admire the view from on top their horses, forgetting for a breathless moment about the weight their loyal companions carried. It was a picturesque place indeed, and it would be where Corrin and Azura would stay for the next two days on their honeymoon trip.

As part of their honeymoon trip, Otis and Lilith had arranged a trip to the small cabin which was built not far from where Corrin and Azura had married each other, next to the ocean. Surprisingly, once misunderstandings were cleared and old hatreds set aside, the older Vallite man and former dragon had turned out to be quite the pair. While Corrin and Azura had to take care of larger matters, as was expected of them, Lilith and Otis both proved their worth when it came to smaller matters. As soon as Corrin had the opportunity to, he appointed Lilith as his second chamberlain, with Otis being the first.

At first, Lilith had been hesitant to take the position, citing that she was worried about how people—especially the Vallites—will talk about how a random, blue-haired girl managed to sneak her way up into one of the most prestigious duties. Corrin managed to assure her that people were more concerned with bringing over their families and trying to start a new life in New Valla over wondering where their second royal chamberlain came from. Eventually, and albeit reluctantly, Lilith agreed, and before they knew it, the blue-haired girl was working alongside Otis fabulously in helping Corrin and Azura run the kingdom.

"'Impressive' is an understatement," she said, smiling widely. "When Otis and Lilith said that they found a perfect 'home away from home,' I never thought it would be this beautiful."

Azura and Corrin had visited this cabin only once before on a sightseeing ride across the country, but both were delighted to learn that the small but cozy abode would soon serve as their "home away from home," as Azura stated. While the cabin had been rundown and abandoned the first time they passed through, Lilith apparently ordered workmen to renovate the entire building. What solidified their decision in choosing this forest as their 'villa' was the fact that the cabin was built in a grassy plain next to a forest, and in said forest was a lake, very similar to the one where Corrin had met Azura for the first time, albeit much, much larger. While Xander and Ryoma had huge elaborate villas or manors to serve as their own personal retreats, Corrin and Azura—especially Azura—preferred something a bit…homelier.

And thus the idea for their first trip for their honeymoon was born.

The plan was, as of right now, they would spend one or two days in their little cabin-home before making their way across Valla and into Hoshido to see the beautiful blooming of the cherry blossom trees, then the dragon boat races, and finally Ryoma's coronation. After that, they would journey back into Valla, cross it again, this time into Nohr to attend Xander's own coronation and to see Selena, Odin, and Caeldori off to wherever world they came from—Laslow and Peri had elected to stay behind—before finally, watching a live performance of a particularly prestigious musical performance named  _Fates_ , which, according to Azura, was one of two things she had wanted to ever to see in her life, with seeing Anankos gone being the first.

Azura blinked and shook her head as Corrin cleared his throat. "Shall we?" he asked, gesturing towards where their home for the next few days was waiting for them.

"We shall," Azura replied playfully as she urged her horse into a trot.

As Corrin helped unsaddle the horses and herd them into a nice little pasture beside the house, Azura took the opportunity to look around the house.

The house contained only two main rooms: a large living room and a bedroom along with a third smaller room serving as the storeroom near the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. The living room contained a round wooden table, a wardrobe, and a full-body sized mirror next to the cutlery sideboard while the bedroom was furnished with one large bed, very cushy and prominent, Azura noted with interest, a small bulletin board which Azura assumed would be for pictures or notes, and a small nightstand on either side of the bed. There was also a small table with a flower in a vase on top next to the windows.

Azura started as she realized that the flower was actually a blue rose, the same one that Corrin had given to her soon after they started courting.  _He must've kept it all this time for this purpose_ , Azura realized.

On the far side of where Azura entered was the windowed door leading to the balcony and, more importantly, the view. Pausing only to set her and Corrin's bags down at the foot of the bed, Azura slowly approached the balcony and with slightly trembling fingers, turned the handle. A gust of wind blew in past her, tousling her hair and ruffling the pedals of the blue rose.

"Beautiful view, isn't it?"

Azura flinched and jumped backwards in surprise, barely managing to stifle a yelp as she realized there was a old man sitting in a wooden rocking chair next to the wall. The old man looked like he was in his mid-sixties and wore a tan colored long coat with a red tunic underneath. Beneath his wide-brimmed hat was his silvery gray away, which was pulled into a neat little ponytail. As the old man looked up at Azura, the shadows caused by his hat slowly fell away, revealing a very tanned and weathered face, though his brown eyes were full of understanding and compassion.

"You are the new queen of New Valla, are you not?" the old man asked.

"Who are you?" Azura asked frostily, unsure as to lower her guard or not. After all, it's not everyday you find an old man sitting by himself in the middle of basically nowhere. "And what are you doing here? I thought this place was supposed to only be for me and Corrin."

The old man chuckled as he rested both hands on top of his gnarled cane. "Well yes, but if there's a similarity between the poorest of dirt shacks and the richest of castles, it's that there must always be someone willing to take care of it."

Extending a hand towards Azura, the old man sad, "I am Achilles. I used to own this land."

Azura gingerly shook Achilles' hand. "'Used to?'" she asked. "I hope we didn't cause trouble for you by kicking you out of your home."

Achilles chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about it. This old cabin was getting too difficult for an old man like myself to take care of. Luckily, my new home is just over there and is a bit easier to maintain"

He pointed towards a small wooden shack built next to a pier extending over the lake. "See that shack? I'm more than happy to give up my home for you two, especially if you're the queen and king."

"Azura?" Corrin's voice called questioningly. "Azura, who are you talking to?"

Azura turned to see Corrin behind her. His eyes softened and his posture relaxed as he realized she was safe, but he gave a confused look towards Achilles.

"Oh," he said, realizing. "Uh, was I interrupting something, or…"

"No, no, you're fine," Achilles said as he stood up. Corrin automatically rushed over to try and help him, but Achilles simply waved him away.

"Leave me be, boy," Achilles said gently. "These old bones managed to maintain this cabin for the last twenty or so years. I'm sure I can handle standing up and walking half a mile back home."

Corrin's eyebrows lifted in surprise as he looked around himself. "You…you did all this? For us?"

Achilles simply winked as he hobbled past Corrin. "Of course!" he replied cheerfully. "It wouldn't do well for any newlyweds, regardless if they're royalty or not, to see their new home dusty and dirtied, am I right?"

Corrin frowned and reached out towards Achilles. "Wait, did this place used to belong to you?"

"It did once, my boy," Achilles said. "But I'm much happier now with my new home. If you require anything or have questions about this land, feel free to drop by the tiny shack next to the pier by the lake."

"You're leaving?" Azura asked.

"Well of course!" Achilles replied, looking back as he opened the door. "The two of you still have much to discover about this place together, and I wish not to be the one to detract from your enjoyment. Goody-bye!"

Corrin and Azura watched silently as the door closed shut and continued watching silently as Achilles' figure hobbled along the wooden pathway towards the aforementioned shack. As he opened the door, Achilles turned back and waved at them merrily with his cane before disappearing into the tiny house.

"Who…who was that?" Corrin asked curiously.

"He called himself Achilles," Azura responded. "He said that he used to take care of this place, but gave it up to us because he felt he was getting too old to keep this place clean."

"Huh." Corrin shrugged and headed back inside to finish laying out their belongings. "At least he did a good job of it."

Azura hummed in agreement as she followed Corrin inside. Corrin looked up from whatever he was doing when he felt Azura's frame press against him and he instinctively closed his eyes and breathed in Azura's faint strawberry scent.

"You like it so far?" he asked quietly.

Azura simply nodded before burying her face into his back and tightening her grip around him. Corrin simply smiled before suddenly bounding back out onto the balcony, leaving Azura behind.

"Let's go to the lake!" he said excitedly, almost childishly. "We can go swimming!"

Azura smiled at the boyish grin on her husband's face. "Well, let's finish getting our stuff out.  _Then_  we can go frolic and do whatever it is you want to do."

"But what about you?" Corrin asked, tilting his head. "What do you want to do?"

Azura simply looked at the blue rose sitting in the jar and walked over to it. Gently pressing her nose to the petals, she said simply, "I've already done it. I married you, didn't I?"

Corrin blushed as another boyish grin broke out on his face. He rubbed the back of his head as he stuttered, "Well, y-yeah. When you put it  _that_  way, I guess this sort of thing looks really weak compared to what you gave me."

"Don't say that," Azura scolded gently as she walked back towards Corrin. "It's true I love you more than anything else in the world, but you've already shown me how much you loved me. This whole honeymoon is just a way for us to get to know each other better in a way we haven't been able to before."

"But I already know everything there is to know about you!" Corrin pouted. "Like I know you have a fear of spiders and salamanders! You're allergic to peanuts and poison ivy—"

"— _everyone's_ allergic to poison ivy, Corrin," Azura interrupted. "That's why it's called  _poison_  ivy."

"—you hate being called a dancer instead of a songstress, and you love strawberries above all else," Corrin continued, counting down on his fingers.

"Not all else," Azura correct as she stepped closer to Corrin. She twisted her hands around his neck as she fluttered her eyelashes. Their noses almost touching, she whispered, "You exist, don't you?"

Corrin chuckled and pecked her on the lips before pulling himself away. Azura let him go, and as he unbuttoned his tunic, she glimpsed the trademark blue glow of his dragonstone, and an idea vegan to form in Azura's head.

"Actually," she mused, "there is one thing I want to do while we're here."

"Hm?" Corrin asked, freeing his torso free of his riding tunic. "What is it?"

Smiling, Azura told him.

* * *

Corrin could barely prevent himself from jumping into the lake as he waited for Azura to finish changing. Bouncing on the balls of his feet impatiently, he looked out at the white-capped expanse of water rippling with fan-shaped patterns where wing brushed it. The pure size of it delighted him.

Unable to contain himself any longer, he called, "Azura, where are you? You're taking forever!"

"Be patient, Corrin," Azura said admonishingly as she walked out of the house. "You know, women's clothing can be much more complex and fragile than men's."

Corrin turned towards the sound of Azura's voice and his jaw nearly hit the floor as he beheld the sight of Azura walking towards him, clad only in a simple white two-piece bikini. There was a patch of fabric obscuring part of her right leg where Corrin knew there was a scar from her childhood in Nohr. Her smooth pearly-white arms and legs seemed to glow in the sunlight, the way her bare hips sashayed side to side as she walked towards him caused Corrin to see stars in his vision.

Azura blushed and unconsciously tried to hide her figure using her long blue hair as she noticed Corrin gawking at her. "C-can you please stop staring?" she said, growing redder by the second. "I-it's kind of embarrassing…"

"You're beautiful," Corrin breathed, still standing slack-jawed. "Just…just…just… _wow_."

Azura took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. Trying to push past her own embarrassment, she tried a joke. "W-well, are you sure i-it isn't because you can see my cleavage and thighs?" she asked, trying to grin only for the corners of her mouth twitch upwards in what one could say was an attempt at a sheepish smile.

Corrin shook his head and gestured to the entirety of Azura's body. "No,  _all_  of you is beautiful. I only wish that other people can see you like this."

Azura blushed so red, she could've been mistaken for a walking lobster. "C-Corrin!" she protested.

Corrin tilted his head quizzingly. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

Azura shook her mind as she shyly walked up to Corrin. "N-never mind." Taking his hand in hers, she said quietly, "Let's just get this over with."

"I thought you were the one who wanted to do this?" Corrin asked teasingly. "Having second thoughts?"

Azura tired to answer but what came out was a senseless string of words.

Why was she like this now? Normally, she would've been able to control herself and say what was necessary, but now that she was in this situation, it seemed like nothing wanted to work properly for her. Maybe it was the sun. Yeah, that was it. And maybe two parts seeing Corrin's figure without a shirt on. Maybe three parts.

Laying off his needling of her, Corrin touched his dragonstone. Following Anankos' death, he found that whenever he  _did_  transform into his full-fledged draconic form during the rare opportunities where he had the space and isolation to do so, he found himself no longer…clouded by murderous thoughts.

Sure, there were the instinctual habits of wanting to spread his wings and hunt for animals for sustenance, and there  _may_  have been one time where he instinctively tried to wrap his tail around Azura's waist while he was partially transformed during an "exploratory" session, but most of the time, he felt the same as he ever did in his dragon form, only that he couldn't see any colors other than dark navy blue and the world around him was defined by silhouettes and smells instead of sight alone. Lilith had also explained that the degeneration in dragons that Corrin also feared would only occur once they live to an extraordinarily old age, which, luckily for Corrin, wasn't coming anytime soon.

With a flash of light, in Corrin's place stood a dragon, it's black and white scales shining as brightly as ever, even more so in the sun overhead. Corrin stood up proudly and gently whipped his tail back and forth as he looked curiously back at Corrin.

"A-Are you sure about this?" she asked hesitatingly, taking small steps towards him. "W-wouldn't someone see you like this?"

" _No humans,"_  Corrin said, his voice strangely distorted and metallic sounding. It sounded like he was speaking underwater. " _No smells."_

Azura couldn't help but release a pent-up breath in relief. While she was off changing into her swimwear, she asked Corrin to see if he could detect any other humans within a three-mile radius besides them and Achilles. According to Corrin, they were entirely alone, and assuming they keep their distance away from Achilles' shack, they shouldn't be in danger of interrupting him. Even then, with Corrin's keen hearing and sense of sight, anybody who was interested in watching the two of them would instantly be detected.

"Good," she breathed. "N-now, can you crouch down a bit? You're too tall for me."

Doing as Azura requested, Corrin bowed his knees. A soft huff of air escaped from where his nostrils would've been had he been any other land creature as he felt Azura's weight settle into the groove between his back and the base of his long neck.

As he looked back to check if Azura was comfortable, she smiled demurely and patted the side of his jaw. "I'm fine," she said soothingly. "Let's have some fun."

The words had barely left her mouth before Corrin jumped out over the water, his wings pumping and flapping furiously as they climbed in altitude. While Corrin had never truly flown in battle before due to the risk of being picked off by enemy mages and archers, he had glided before.

If he was being honest with himself, flying didn't feel all that different from, say, literally flapping his arms in his human form. Sure, it was tiring after a while, but with his massively increased strength, exhaustion would only arrive after hours of flying without rest, something he hoped he wouldn't have to do anytime soon.

They soared upward, circling over the lake and at that height, the opposing shore and the tops of the trees were clearly visible. On his back, Azura tightened her grip around his neck.

Unusually bold, Azura leaned forward and asked Corrin, "Would you like to take a bath?"

If Corrin had a face, he would've grinned wolfishly. He locked his wings and sank to the waves, clipping the crests with the tips of his claws. The water sparkled in the sunlight as they sailed over it. On his back, Azura  _whooped_  and screamed in delight. Then Corrin folded his wings and dived into the lake, his head and neck entering It like a lance.

The water hit Azura like an icy wall, knocking out her breath and almost tearing her off Corrin, despite her people's supposed affinity for water. She held on tightly as he swam for the surface. With three powerful strokes of his feet, Corrin breached the water and sent a burst of shimmering water toward the sky. Azura gasped and futilely tried to shake her hair into neatness as Corrin slithered across the lake, using his tail as a rudder.

Corrin looked back at her, as if asking " _Ready?"_

Azura nodded and took a deep breath, tightening her arms. This time, they slid gently under the water. They could see for yards through the unclouded liquid. Corrin twisted and turned in fantastic shapes, slipping through the water like an elusive eel. Azura felt as if she was riding a sea serpent of legend, which in a way, she supposed, was partially true.

Just as her lungs started to cry for air, despite her Vallite heritage, Corrin arched his back and pointed his head upward. An explosion of droplets haloed them as Corrin leapt into the air, wings snapping open. With two power flaps, they gained altitude.

"Wow!" Azura exclaimed happily. "That was fantastic!"

" _Puny human lungs,"_  Corrin replied snappily, though Azura knew he was trying to convey his sympathy for her human limitations rather than to mock them.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about that, now can I?" she asked, futilely pressing water out of her air. She was drenched, as was to be expected, and the wind from Corrin's wings chilled her.

Looking down at the glittering water below them, she asked mischievously, "Now, let's do that a third time, shall we?"

Corrin said nothing but simply dove back down towards the water.


	6. The Dragon Boat Festival

"Thank you so much for allowing us to visit Hoshido," Azura said to Ryoma as the two of them walked down the dirt pathway surrounding the small pond in the garden outside Castle Shirasagi. Corrin followed closely behind, though he was distracted more often than not by the gentle cascade of pink sakura pedals falling around them.

Azura could only smile at the sight of seeing Corrin peering at the floating pedals in the water with a child-like expression of amazement. Turning back to face Ryoma, she continued saying, "I'm sorry if this was a bad time for us to visit or—"

"No no!" Ryoma said hastily. He rested a hand on Azura's shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. "It's no problem at all! Trust me, sister, everything is fine in Hoshido."

Azura frowned worriedly. "That's…not what the letters Camilla and Sakura sent us said," she said. "Weren't there rumors of rebellion in Hoshido?"

"There  _had_  been talks of rebellion," Ryoma said irritably, as if he had to correct this statement multiple times in the last few days. "Last week, my men managed to arrest a large group of rebels who had been conspiring against the throne. Apparently, the group we arrested was the most notorious and largest group of traitors in Hoshido, and ever since the arrests, the other rebel groups have either dispersed completely or are simply lying in the shadows waiting for another opportunity to strike."

"It will most likely be the latter," Azura said gravely. "If the Hoshidan court is anything like Nohr's, there will always be those who would see themselves on the throne rather than you."

"Perhaps," Ryoma mused, rubbing his chin. "Luckily, Camilla is well-versed in the art of…let's just call it  _negation_ , shall we?" Squeezing her shoulder again, he said, "Trust me, Azura. I have everything under control here in Hoshido, especially with Camilla's advice. And besides—you have your own kingdom to run  _and_  you're on your honeymoon! There's no reason as to why you should be trying to solve problems that are mine and mine alone to deal with."

"It's…it's just a habit," Azura said, biting her tongue as she looked back at Corrin. He was now kneeling on the ground, his hand outstretched towards a small gaggle of geese swimming by the pond shore.

With a series of outraged honks and splashing water, two of the geese—parents, Azura guessed, based on their size and sudden aggression—rose out of the water and flapped furiously towards Corrin. Corrin yelped and scrambled backwards, landing on his bottom in the process. But the geese weren't done yet, however. With another series of angry cries, one of the geese rose out of the water and flew towards Corrin, its wings beating powerfully against Corrin's arms.

Struggling to hold back the tsunami of angry white feathers, Corrin cast a desperate, pleading look towards Azura and Ryoma. Azura took a step forward but paused when Ryoma put an arm protectively in front of her.

"Don't try it," he said. "The Hoshidan Snow Goose are known for their utter lack of intelligence when it comes to defending their young. They might put up a big show and make a racket, but trust me, Corrin's not in any real danger."

"You're asking me to trust you on a lot of things," Azura grumbled as she glared at Ryoma. "First your political problems, now a wild goose attacking my husband?"

"It's not wild," a new voice said from behind her.

Turning to address the speaker, Azura saw a young man walking towards them, a burlap sack slung over his shoulder and a wicked-looking broadsword sheathed next to his waist. He wore a simple white tunic underneath his navy-blue vest with the crest of the Hoshidan royal family stamped over the right breast in gold. His arms were bare, save for a bracer wrapped around his right forearm.

Azura was barely able to hide an uncharacteristic shudder as the man looked at her in the eyes, his chocolate-brown eyes flashing dangerously for a moment in the sunlight. Azura pressed a hand to her temple, a sudden headache blossoming as the young man bowed before her and Ryoma.

"Lord Ryoma," the man greeted, his voice silky smooth. Keeping in line with his appearance, he sounded rather young. Azura placed him as being younger than even her and Corrin, at around seventeen or eighteen years old.

"Ah, Sun Tian!" Ryoma said brightly, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. "A pleasure of you to join us! Is it time for you to feed your geese?"

Sun Tian cast an apathetic gaze at the sight of Corrin trying to pry himself free of the chokehold the goose somehow managed to perform on him, spluttering and cursing the whole time. "I'm not really sure, Lord Ryoma," he said sarcastically. "Though last time I checked, geese mainly preyed upon small bugs and insect— _not_  grown men."

"I'm so sorry about this!" Azura said hastily, bowing in apology. Normally, a queen like her would never bow to a lowly retainer, but the action was just a habit born out of years of ettiquete lessons. "We meant no trouble, my husband—"

"It's fine," Sun Tian sighed. Adjusting the sack over his shoulder, he trudged towards Corrin and expertly pried the goose off with a single hand.

As if sensing that this newcomer was something not to be trifled with, the goose reluctantly disengaged, though as it settled back in the water, it seemed to shoot Corrin a hateful glare. He shuddered at the sight.

"What'd you try to do?" Sun Tian asked as he reached into the sack and sprinkled some bird feed around the pond. Like bees drawn the honey, the geese eagerly swam towards the pile of feed in the pond and before long, the sound of outraged geese faded into nothing.

Corrin stammered and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh, well, I saw a baby duck and I thought it looked cute so I tried to pet it, but then it turned out that it's parent was nearby so we sort of got into an…altercation."

Sun Tian scoffed lightly. "An altercation is just putting It lightly," he said. "Take a look at yourself."

Expertly whipping out a small hand mirror, Sun Tian handed it to Corrin who gingerly took it in his hand. Corrin's eyes widened as he took in the extent of his wounds.

" _Wow_ ," he said, pressing a hand to a bruise that was already forming on his neck and cheek. "Never thought ducks could hit that hard."

"First off, they're not ducks—they're  _geese_ ," Sun Tian correctly irritably. "Secondly, what were you thinking on trying to separate a baby from their mother? I don't know how much you know about animals, but trying to separate a mother from her child is a one-way trip to Shinigami's doorstep!"

"Shinigami?" Corrin asked curiously. "Who's that?"

Sun Tian's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You don't know?" he asked. "How do you not know? You're Hoshidan, aren't you? Shinigami is the Hoshidan god of death!"

Corrin blinked and rubbed his chin. "Huh," he said amicably. "Well I guess that makes a lot more sense than what I originally thought Shinigami was."

Sun Tian's eyebrows narrowed dangerously. "You…are Hoshidan, aren't you?" he asked again.

Azura tried to interrupt, sensing a trap, but Corrin managed to say, "In a way, yes."

Sun Tian's eyes narrowed even further. "'In a way, yes?'" he repeated. "What kind of answer is that? It's—"

"Well, that's enough of that now," Ryoma said sternly, glaring at Sun Tian. "Sun Tian, your geese are waiting for seconds, are they not? I suggest you feed them again before they kill another person."

The brown-haired retainer glowered and stared suspiciously at Corrin before swallowing and bowing again, this time in apology.

"Please forgive me," he said. "I have had…numerous experiences with Nohrians before, many of them unpleasant. I hope you can forgive my transgressions and rudeness."

"It's fine," Corrin said dismissively, waving a hand away. "Trust me, I know the feeling. I'm sorry for your loss."

Azura could see a vein pulsing in Sun Tian's temple, but to her relief, the young man simply stiffly bowed again before crouching down next to the geese to resume feeding them. Catching a subtle gesture from Ryoma, Azura grabbed Corrin's arm and pulled him away to follow Ryoma who had stepped out of earshot of Sun Tian.

"You must forgive me," Ryoma said remorsefully. "Sun Tian is not…normally like this, I promise. He's…he's just been through a lot these last few weeks."

"What happened?" Corrin asked curiously. "Did something happen or—"

"Don't intrude, Corrin!" Azura scolded.

"It's fine, Azura," Ryoma said, sighing. Adjusting his ceremonial headpiece, he explained, "Sun Tian had a…rough childhood. According to him, growing up, his father was never…all the way there, so to speak. As a child, Sun Tian wanted to learn all about animals and the like, but that dream was shattered when a pack of Faceless destroyed his village, killing almost everyone there, including his mother. Only a few survived, including his father. Afterwards, they…they drifted apart, for lack of a better term. He wanted to find a way to strike back against the Nohrians, but by the time he entered my service as a replacement for Kagero, peace had already been achieved between Hoshido and Nohr."

"Didn't look like he got the message," Corrin mused.

Ryoma glanced at Sun Tian, who was still crouching over the pond, gently feeding the geese. "I thought he did," he said. "At first, he had been polite with visiting Nohrians—even friendly—but ever since his father died last month, he's been…moody, to say the least. You know, lashing out, saying hurtful things. Those kinds of things."

"He's still young," Azura reminded gently. "I'm sure he'll come around soon enough."

"I hope so," Ryoma said gravely before shaking his head.

"What am I saying?" he asked. "The Dragon Boat Festival is upon us, and here we are, talking about such depressing matters. We should be celebrating, not moping about!

Corrin frowned. "I overheard you two talking earlier. Azura said something about whispers of rebellions or something, didn't she? How do we know that these rebels won't try something during the festival?"

Ryoma smiled gently and patted Corrin on the shoulder. "I see that being king has improved your ability to become a worrywart," he said teasingly. "Don't worry, little brother. The Dragon Boat Festival is one of Hoshido's most sacred holidays due to it warding off evil spirits and animals for the rest of the year. None would dare to interrupt such an important and sacred event."

Corrin glanced worriedly at Azura who took his hand in return and squeezed.

"I hope you're right," he said.

The rest of the garden walk passed in silence.

* * *

Later that day, when the sun was about to kiss the horizon and the Hoshidan people were preparing to start the festival, Azura and Corrin found themselves in the guest suite Ryoma had allowed them to live in. The suite was a far cry from their own room back in New Valla.

Instead of having a large bed, they slept instead on a simple straw mattress that was low to the ground. In fact,  _everything_  was low to the ground: the tables, the pads they used instead of chairs, the toiletries. Azura, having lived in Hoshido for the better part of her life adjusted relatively easily to this new lifestyle. On the other hand, Corrin, having lived in Nohr for most of his life found the sudden change a bit jarring, though he mostly managed to adjust quickly as well.

Mostly.

"Hey, um, Azura?" he called.

"Hm?"

"What's the whole story behind this Dragon Boat Festival thing?" Corrin asked from where he was standing in front of the full-body mirror in the guest suite Ryoma had lent them for the duration of their stay. "Ryoma said something about it warding evil spirits or something, but what do you know about it?"

As she slipped on the kimono Hinoka had lent her, Azura closed her eyes as she tried to remember back to those old history lessons her tutors had taught her in her childhood. "I…I don't remember much," she said reluctantly, unhappy that she was forgetting some of her childhood memories. When one's childhood was spent mostly trying to survive the horrors of a Nohrian court and running away from a mad dragon, one usually holds those little moments in higher esteem.

"Just a few random snippets of some old text saying that the month Dragon Boat Festival happens during is supposedly cursed," she explained. "Apparently, it's during this time that poisonous creatures like snakes, scorpions, and other animals start showing up, so people do everything from burning incense to ward off evil spirits to people cutting out pictures of those poisonous creatures, pasting them to a wall, and sticking a needle through them."

Corrin shuddered. "That's…that's pretty scary, when you think about it."

Azura nodded in agreement. "That's why even though we're  _supposed_  to do those things, we usually just perform and showcase gifts to each other instead. It's supposed to show how grateful we are to one another for being here and whatnot. The usual."

"Gift…showcasing?" Corrin asked questioningly. "What's the story behind that?"

"Oh, I know this one!" Azura said excitedly. "According to ancient Hoshidan lore, there was a famous poet who was exiled because people accused him of treason when he opposed the formation of an alliance between his kingdom and a rival kingdom. When his kingdom finally fell, the poet committed suicide by drowning himself in the river flowing outside Castle Shirasagi, and because the local people loved and admired him for his beautiful works of poetry, they built boats to try and retrieve his body."

"That's…morbid," Corrin noted. "Did they ever find the body?"

Azura shrugged before looking at herself critically in the mirror next to Corrin. "I don't think so, but I'm not sure. It's just a legend, after all," she said. "Anyways, I think the legend goes like this afterwards: they couldn't find the body, but because they didn't want the fish in the river to eat the poet's carcass, they dropped balls of sticky rice into the river for the fish to eat instead, and that's basically the history of Hoshido's Dragon Boat Races."

"That's it?" Corrin asked, surprised. "No happy ending, no conclusion—that's it? They dropped a few sticky rice balls into a river to prevent fishes from eating a poet's body because he drowned himself?"

"Unlike Nohrian legends, Hoshidan folklore tends to focus more on remembering the sacrifices of great people in the past," Azura said drily. "Now hurry up, we're going to be late if you don't finish getting dressed."

Corrin looked down at the ceremonial white robes he was wearing. "But I am!" he pouted. "What more do you want from me?"

"No, you're not," she said, rolling her eyes. She walked over to a chair where a red scarf was hanging on its back. Ignoring the sounds of Corrin's struggles, she promptly yanked the garment over Corrin's head and fiddled with it until she was satisfied with its appearance.

"Are you done yet?" Corrin asked exasperatedly when she backed away.

Azura ran a critical eye over her husband's figure again, her eyes lingering for just a bit too long on his face. Noticing her staring, Corrin tried for a cocky smile and was rewarded by a sheepish grin and blush from Azura.

"It'll do," she said, quickly turning around to check herself in the mirror. She kept her normal white head dressing out of pure habit, but other than that, she had shed her normal white and gold attire for something a bit more…Hoshidan. As was tradition in Hoshido, she wore a kimono, though it was light blue in color and decorated with a few patches of flowers etched in gold.

"What about me?" she asked. "Am I good?"

Corrin ran a critical eye over her figure, his gaze staring longer than usual on some certain… _areas._  "Yep, you look good," he said truthfully.

Azura rolled her eyes in affectionate exasperation as she carefully set a stray strand of blue hair peeking out from underneath her habit in place. " _Good_  isn't good enough, you know," she said in a posh voice. "I have to be  _perfect_."

"You're already perfect, Azura," Corrin said. He then walked over to and opened the door and bowed in an overly-exaggerated doorman posture. "Shall we, milady?" he asked in a suave voice.

Azura smiled. "We shall," she said, equally charmingly. As she walked towards the door, she took a moment to pick up a red and gold paper fan from their nightstand.

"What's that for?" Corrin asked as she walked past him.

In response, Azura merely snapped the fan open in front of her face. She fluttered her eyebrows and she swore she saw Corrin physically swoon before her for a moment.

"A-ah," he stammered, visibly flustered. "I see."

Azura smiled and snapped the fan closed again before extending her left arm so Corrin could loop his arm through hers. Without hesitation, he did so, and Azura instinctively rested her other hand on his arm, pressing herself closer to him.

Looking up at Corrin and fluttering her eyebrows again, she asked, "Now then. Shall we be off?"

Corrin smiled. "Of course, my beloved one."

"…"

"…"

"That…was…"

"That was  _definitely_  cheesy, even by my standards," Corrin finished. He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine," Azura said, laughing lightly. "You're lucky I'm not allergic to dairy."

* * *

The festival passed in a blur for Azura. Even if she tried to remember, she couldn't…

She remembered spinning in circles while holding Corrin's hands, the taste of honey and sake on her tongue, the taste of strawberries on Corrin's, which made kissing him all the sweeter, and the smell of sakura and peach and plum trees blossoming in the air…

She remembered watching a dozen Hoshidan ninja perching themselves on the corners of the rooftops, silently watching the festivities below, making sure the peace was kept. She pointed them out to Corrin delightfully, but in the noise of the festivities, she wasn't sure if he heard her or not. All he did was smile and nod before pressing his strawberry-tasting lips to her cheeks…

She remembered sitting against Corrin on his lap, almost straddling him, as he stared daggers at the kitsune who was being petted by Sakura. The kitsune simply waggled his eyebrows at him and stuck his tongue out before arching his back when Sakura scratched his back. Azura gently pressed a palm to Corrin's chest to calm him down and he reluctantly eased back down before ordering another cup of sake. Azura slapped it out of her hands, scolding him before ordering a drink herself…

She remembered endless poems and songs, some mournful and grieving for lost ones, others joyful and thanking the spirits for allowing peace to be held—mostly both. Even Azura herself performed her signature song and dance, with Corrin playing beautifully alongside her. Everyone gathered to listen to them…

She remembered the wonders she saw during the celebration, many of which a foreigner would've deemed both beautiful and impossible. Corrin especially gasped and clapped his hands in wonder, similar to that of a child, as endless waves of puzzles and toys, art and ceremonial weapons, dances and swordplays paraded past him…

One particular merchant had a magically-enchanted glass ball that showed a different flower appearing within its heart every few seconds. Another proclaimed that he had spent decades travelling the land and memorizing the sound of the elements, the most beautiful of which he now played from a wide array of instruments. Another contributed a wooden shield with the entirety of Hoshido's lands carved masterfully into its surface. No detail was excluded, and Azura gasped in amazement as she realized that the artist had also carved miniscule houses in the wooden cities, and that there were even signs with readable Hoshidan words carved onto them…

She remembered Ryoma walking up to a podium raised above the crowd to deliver a speech. The crowd cheered and respectfully fell silent before breaking out into cheering again, this time with even greater intensity when Corrin and Azura walked up to the stage. Azura habitually hid herself behind Corrin, shyly covering her face while Corrin simply smiled and waved good-naturedly at the crowd before him before directing their attention back to Ryoma…

"…and we can only thank two people for letting us celebrate today without fear of war or strife between our two nations," Ryoma said, his deep voice magically altered so his voice rang and echoed across the city. "Corrin, the king of Valla and his wife, Azura, the queen of Valla!"

The crowd cheered and Azura swore she felt the podium shake beneath her feet as she and Corrin stood up and bowed. Ryoma bent over and whispered something to Corrin, who shook his head. Seemingly disappointed, Ryoma turned back to the crowd and proclaimed, "And with that, return to your festivities! I say this not as your king or lord, but as a friend! Rejoice, I say! Rejoice!"

Tilting her head quizzingly, she mouthed  _What's going on?_

Corrin shook her head and squeezed her hand, buying Azura's silence. As the two of them retreated into the back of the dais and down the stairs at the back to return to their festivities, someone grasped Azura by the wrist, causing her to gasp in surprise and press herself against Corrin.

Corrin reacted instantly, protectively planting himself between Azura and the offender. To his surprise, the offender was none other than Takumi. His stern expression dropped to that of surprise before morphing back into a serious expression again.

"What do you want?" he asked, keeping his voice deadly calm.

"Nothing," Takumi said casually, his voice equally level, though there was a certain… _slur_  to his speech pattern that tipped Azura off with the fact that he wasn't exactly sober. "Just wanted to tell you that just because people were cheering for you tonight doesn't mean they forgot how our mother died protecting  _you,_  an outsider."

Azura frowned. Takumi had always been blunt, both in words and actions, but this was certainly unusual. He was never this forward, even with Corrin. Catching the way how Corrin's fist unconsciously clenched themselves at his sides, Azura knew she had to do something before a national crisis occurred.

Planting herself between Corrin and Takumi, she rested a palm on Corrin's chest and gently pushed him back. "Don't," she warned, a hint of steel and worry in her voice as she glanced back warily at Takumi who was also clenching his fists and tensing up. "It's late and we aren't exactly thinking clearly right now. We shouldn't do anything we'll regret later."

Corrin closed his eyes and breathed out, unclenching his fists. He understood what Azura was trying to say. It was impossible for him to get drunk, of course, but Takumi on the other hand…well Takumi wasn't exactly half-dragon, now was he?

"Fine," he mumbled before turning and walking away.

Azura looped her arm in his and glanced back worriedly as Takumi shouted behind them, "She died protecting you,  _brother!"_

"He's drunk right now," Azura reminded Corrin as he stiffened. "Trust me, he doesn't mean it."

"I…I know," Corrin said, his voice suspiciously thick though when he looked down at Azura, there were no signs of emotion on his face. And that worried her. "I know he's not himself right now but…but…can we just go back to the festival? Please?"

Azura tried for a smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. She too had just realized that Queen Mikoto would never see her son and daughter-in-law together like this.

"Of course we can," she said gently.

* * *

The night continued to drag on, and Azura eventually found herself back in their bedroom chamber. She gasped and arched her back, her eyes rolling in ecstasy as Corrin gently nuzzled that spot between her legs. When all was said and done, she cuddled up next to Corrin, one hand wrapped in his and the other resting possessively on his chest. Likewise, One of Corrin's arms was wrapped around her, forming a pillow better than even the pegasi down pillows they had back home in New Valla.

Outside, the sounds of the festivities continued, though much more subdued than they had been just a few hours ago. As the festival dragged on, more and more retired for the night until it was only the most fanatical or determined of people left celebrating outside.

A loud  _crash_  sounded outside, possibly the result of a drunken man running into a wagon. A loud roar of laughter rose up from where the crash sounded, but Azura still flinched and tensed up, tightening her hold on Corrin.

He squeezed her back reassuringly and whispered, "It's nothing, Azura. Probably just a couple of people having a bit too much to drink."

"I think  _we_  had too much to drink," Azura moaned. She groaned in pain as a another headache blossomed in her forehead, casuing her to squeeze her eyes shut and knead her forehead with her knuckles.

Corrin simply chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. It didn't make the pain go away, nor did Azura expect it to, but it helped a little.

Just a little bit.

The two of them were drenched in sweat (or at least Corrin was. He was the one who did the all the hard work, after all) following their latest  _activity_. It had been perfect, like every other time they had done it, but this time, with her head rested on Corrin's arm and a gentle buzzing in her head, Azura couldn't help but feel… _guilty._

"I'm sorry," she whispered, tracing circles on Corrin's bare chest. "I'm so sorry…"

"What for?" Corrin asked, looking down at her in confusion. "What're you sorry for?"

Azura turned and buried her head in Corrin's chest. "I knew you said you didn't want to have sex again anytime soon, and yet…"

Corrin couldn't help but chuckle at Azura's sudden depressive state. "Gods, you are  _so_  drunk!" he laughed.

Azura frowned, both at the sudden movement of his chest and at his teasing of her. "So?" she asked sullenly. "So what if I am?"

Corrin laughed again and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I knew I said I didn't want to have sex all the time, but I think once a week is a good enough, you know? I mean, back then, we were practically having it every day, and I think that started to wear on me a bit. Maybe once or twice a week is enough for me. Maybe even three, if I'm feeling up to it."

When Azura remained silent, Corrin glanced down at her and was prompted by the sight of her fast asleep, her breathing slow and deep. Corrin smiled and pressed a kiss into her hair before drawing her closer to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be taking a temporary hiatus because of life. Don't worry though, because I'll be back!


	7. Bitter Intrigue

 

"Milord. Somebody's here to see you. I can't seem to scare him away."

Xander wearily cracked open his eyes, squinting as they adjusted to the light. Before him, at the base of the dais where the throne rest on, stood a pale-faced boy. The boy warily eyed Laslow, who was standing next to Xander's throne, as if he was afraid the gray-haired man would try to eat him.

"What is it?" asked Xander, not unkindly.

The boy started, flustered then bowed. "Lord Corrin and Lady Azura have arrived, milord. They're waiting for you in the hall. Prince Leo and Princess Elise have already seen them, and they now wish to see you."

Xander blinked in surprise. "So soon?" he asked Laslow.

Laslow simply shrugged, a normally casual gesture that somehow seemed tenser than usual. "Now that the roads are safe, I would assume travelling between Hoshido and Nohr would be easier and quicker."

Xander sighed and kneaded his eyes. "I see."

Looking back at the boy, Xander asked, "What is your name?"

The boy stiffened, swallowed, and trembled before answering, "Jarsha, milord."

The corner of Xander's mouth lifted in what could be a passable smile as he chuckled. "That's a good name. You carried your message well; you should be proud."

Jarsha visibly beamed before bowing again. "Thank you, milord."

"You may go now."

Jarsha bowed a third time before turning and walking away. As the boy walked away, Laslow noted dryly, "Seems like he's real scared of you, milord."

"He's…he's just trying to make sure that he won't offend me," Xander said wearily. "My father was not a kind man—as I'm sure you and the rest of your companions know."

Laslow nodded thoughtfully. "Well, he could be worse."

The past year or so since the "Invisible War," as the people started to call it, has been…interesting, to say the least. With New Valla being founded and Hoshido declaring peace with Nohr, water, building materials, medicine, and most importantly, food began to pour into Nohr. All across the kingdom, the rate of childbirth more than doubled, and Xander was surprised by how receptive Nohrians had been towards their newfound peace.

Likewise, Ryoma and Corrin were also surprised by the sudden friendliness Nohr showed towards New Valla and Hoshido. It was Leo, as usual, who hypothesized that this was most likely because of the fact that Nohr was more desperate than Hoshidans, who often lived a comparatively wealthy and prosperous life. As such, many approved of the peace, not just because it meant the end of the war, but also because it offered many Nohrians something they never thought they would see in their lifetimes: an easier life.

Across Nohr, trees, grass, flowers, and plants of all sorts began blooming and growing even in the harshest of places, much to the people's delight. They took this as a sign that whatever curse that had plagued Nohr was now lifted, and despite knowing better, Xander couldn't but help agree with their sentiments.

Even the transition of power from his father to himself had been relatively easy, at least compared to Corrin's, since he had to simultaneously deal with the nobles while rebuilding an entire kingdom from scratch. Fortunately, many nobles already had a relatively positive opinion of Xander even before the Invisible War, which made the transition of power that much easier.

Mostly.

Several nobles, mostly the ones who held affluent positions in the court, opposed Xander's rise to power, fearing that their new king would discover their dirty secrets, and discover them Xander did. Within a month of being officially coronated by Nohr's High Council, all of whom were graciously freed from prison because of differing opinions between them and his father, Xander had already arrested and executed several nobles who have been guilty of crimes only his father would tolerate.

Luckily, many also disliked these nobles, and so when the time came to appoint Xander as king, many approved, deeming him a worthy successor to the throne. The paperwork went relatively smoothly, though it was aggravating at times, and the High Council voted thirty-three to four in his favor. Now, all that was left was the big coronation party, similar to that of Corrin's. Only then would he be declared king publicly.

After that…well, there was still the arduous process of undoing all of his father's misdeeds. Rare was the time Xander was able to properly sleep at night, or if he was able to lose consciousness for a few hours, rarely would he actually sleep in his bedroom. As time dragged on, Xander found himself dozing more and more often on his throne.

"Xander? Are you sleeping on your throne again?" a new voice asked.

Xander cracked his eyes open again to see the blurry figure of Leo standing impatiently before him, tapping his foot.

Leo frowned and rubbed his chin. "You know, just because you're the king now doesn't mean you have to pour out all of your energy into running the kingdom. You can sleep, you know."

Xander sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Were it so easy," he said. "I'm well aware that I don't need to be performing my duties as king all day, but just because I don't need to doesn't mean I shouldn't."

Leo's frown deepened. "Xander—"

"The kingdom is still in disarray following Father's death," Xander continued. "I still need to round up the corrupt nobles and I still need to make sure everything goes smoothly with the coronation ceremony."

"Yes, but at what cost?" Leo snapped.

Xander bristled at his younger step-brother's outburst.

Leo sighed again and rubbed his eyes wearily. "You've been pushing yourself too hard, Xander. Sure, Nohr may need a responsible king who knows what he's doing, but they need a person who they can look up to more."

"There's no point in acting like a king if I can't even perform my duties as a king!" Xander retorted.

"That's the thing!" Leo said, aggravated. "Don't you remember what happened to Father, before he became possessed? He was always so worried about keeping Nohr alive, that he didn't even stop to consider that maybe Nohr didn't need a steady supply of food, though that would've helped, but that maybe they needed someone to look up to, someone they knew who could vouch for them! Maybe that's why Father become possessed in the first place!"

"He made the choice willingly," Xander said, his voice low and dangerous.

Leo blinked in surprise before stepping back, recognizing the dangerous edge that had crept into his older step-rother's voice. "Just saying," he mumbled. "You're starting to become like Father."

Xander was instantly on his feet, and Leo became even more aware of their differences in height.

"Listen to me well, Leo," Xander said, his voice low. "Do  _not_  compare me to the man that nearly brought our kingdom to ruin! The reason I've been pushing myself this hard these last few days is because I've been trying to undo the damage  _he_  caused! So don't you even dare to compare me to that man!"

Leo nodded stiffly and bowed. "O-of course," he said. "I was…merely worried about you."

Xander pushed down the feeling of guilt and self-loathing as he nodded. "Your worry for me heartens me," he said, "But don't worry. It'll take a lot more than a couple of sleepless nights to break me."

* * *

"Xander!"

Xander grunted in surprise as a white-haired blur crashed into him, almost throwing him off his feet. "Hello Corrin," Xander said as he tried to maintain his balance.

He was almost tempted to pat the back of his younger adoptive-brother's head, as he did so many times in their youth, but he abruptly remembered that Corrin was an adult now, despite his child-like naivety sometimes, and that they two of them were now kings.

It would not do for anyone to walk in on the sight of the King of Nohr patting the King of New Valla's head, especially if said King of New Valla was giving one of the tightest hugs the King of Nohr has ever felt…

"I see being king hasn't changed your behavior one bit," Xander said, a ghost of a smile on his face.

"Well, it's not as if we haven't seen each other recently," Corrin retorted defensively, letting go and stepping back to cross his arms.

Corrin was…well, he was still his usual self, but at the same time…he wasn't. He was taller, and his white hair longer, almost reaching past his shoulders now. There were dark bags under his eyes, most likely from the days where he worked without sleep to oversee the rebuilding of New Valla, and despite the smile on his face, there was a definite sign of weariness in the lines of his face.

Corrin tilted his head, frowning quizzingly as he rested a finger on his chin. "You alright, Xander?" he said. "You look…sort of…"

"Tired," a second voice said. "You look tired, Xander."

Xander flinched at the sound of Azura's voice and instinctively turned around, trying to find her hiding behind a pillar or something before realizing that she was standing next to Corrin—not behind him, as she did during the war, but  _next_  to him.

Like Corrin, Azura was still her usual self, but at the same time…not. She exuded a much more prominent air of confidence, at least compared to her usual self during the war, though she was still largely overshadowed by Xander himself and Corrin. Physically, Xander saw no changes, at least none he was willingly to discern at the moment, but what caught his eye was a ring of black and white on her ring finger. There was one on Corrin's hand as well, and for some reason, seeing a sign of a happy marriage made Xander feel… _angry_ , almost jealous.

"Ah, Azura," he said warmly, pushing down those thoughts for later. "I was wondering where you were hiding."

"The answer will always be next to Corrin's side," she replied. She twisted her fingers through Corrin's hands and squeezed.

A pang shot through Xander's heart as he felt something squeeze it. Pushing down the sudden feeling of discomfort again, Xander opted to simply smile and hastily change the subject.

"Yes well, uh, welcome to Nohr!" he said grandly, throwing out his arms to gesture to the massive hall they stood in. "Hopefully the two of you will enjoy your stay here."

Corrin looked at Xander in confusion as Azura looked around curiously at the chamber ceiling. "You…you know I've been here before, right Xander?" he asked.

When Xander pinched the bridge of his nose to stave off the sudden headache that had started to bloom in his forehead, Corrin's expression turned to one of concern and he grasped Xander by the shoulder.

"Xander, are you alright?" he asked. "Xander!"

Straightening himself up to his full height, Xander threw Corrin's hands off his shoulders with a bit more force than he intended to. "Don't touch me!" he snapped.

Corrin's eyes widened in surprise and hurt before he too straightened up. "I see then," he said formally, and Xander was shocked to see the utter lack of  _emotion_  in his brother's eyes.

This was  _Corrin_  who was talking to him. How much did Xander just hurt him for him to not even show Xander a shred of emotion when addressing him?

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation another time?" Corrin asked, looking purposefully at Leo, who had been standing uncharacteristically silent next to Xander.

Leo shuffled uncomfortably. "O-of course," he said. "Follow me, I'll lead you two to your rooms personally."

Xander could only stare after them as they walked away, Corrin not even bothering to look back and Azura glancing concernedly over her shoulder at Xander. As the three of them disappeared into one of the many side doors dotted throughout the chamber, Laslow thumped Xander on the shoulder, a breach of protocol that would've been near sacrilegious, but for some reason, Xander couldn't bring himself to care.

"What are you  _doing?_ " Laslow hissed, his frustration barely in check. "Your brother comes to visit you after nearly six months of not being to see you, and you  _throw_  his hands off of you and snap at him? What is wrong with you?"

Xander tried to stammer for an answer but was unable to say anything in his defense.

"I…I…"

Laslow sighed and kneaded his eyes. "Listen, milord, I know this could be a breach of protocol and that it's not my place to tell you how to live your life, but as your retainer and as a  _friend_ , it is my duty to tell you that what Prince Leo said about you is true: you really are becoming like your father."

"Don't you dare say that!" Xander said, nearly shouting but barely managing to keep his voice level. "If you are a friend of mine, and if you are a retainer of mine, then you should know your place and realize that there are some boundaries people in your station cannot cross."

Laslow sucked on his lips. "Yeah, here's the thing," he said. "You may be a king, but you are not  _my_  king. My king—or exalt, for that matter—is currently sleeping in his bedroom next to his beautiful wife.  _That_  king is kind and benevolent to all, commoners, nobles, potential enemies, siblings, amnesiac travelers, you name it, he's probably willing to offer them the hand of peace.  _You_  on the other hand—" he poked Xander in the chest, "— _you_  are starting to act like a man who's lost everything he had to live for. I know you're stressed about the whole becoming-king thing, and I know you're still trying to forget those memories of the war, but you can't let Charlotte's death affect you—"

"Don't speak her name!" Xander said, this time almost shouting. A passing pair of maids paused at the sudden argument, but as soon as they realized the way Xander's hand was clenched around Siegfried's hilt, they hurriedly scurried away into a side passage.

To his credit, Laslow stood his ground, only moving his hand to wipe away a speck of spit that had landed on his fist. "No, I don't think I will."

Anger flashed in Xander's eyes as he started to unsheathe Siegfried. "You—"

With a flash of steel, Siegfried, still in its sheath, tumbled noisily to the ground, Xander could only watch in confusion and amazement as Laslow sheathed his sword.

"What did—"

"You're killing yourself," Laslow said emotionlessly, deadly serious for once. "Ever since you've returned to Nohr, you've done nothing except work and lose sleep. Ever since you were coronated, you've been lashing out at people who want to help you, and ever since the war, you've been…you've been different."

"And who are you to tell me what to do?" Xander asked, struggling to bring his voice back to its normal level. "I am the King of Nohr, not you, Laslow! What I say is the law, and—"

"And that's how your father fell into Anankos' possession," Laslow interrupted. "You keep trying to deny it, you keep trying to justify yourself, but that's the truth: you've been focusing so much on your work to drown old sorrows that you're starting to lose your touch with humanity. People like your friends and family want to help you, but you keep pushing them away. Why?"

"You haven't earned the right to know that," Xander growled as he stomped away, picking up Siegfried and fastening to his waist again in the process.

Without hesitation, Laslow unsheathed his sword again and firmly planted the tip of it in the ground, on top of Xander's flowing cape, effectively pinning him to the spot. With an  _urk_  of surprise, Xander turned on Laslow.

"You  _dare_  to—"

"I dare," Laslow said simply. "As someone who came from a future where even having one person unwell could mean the death of an entire group, I can officially say that you're unwell. In fact, I can go a bit further and say that you're  _sick_."

Xander tried to utter a retort but was unable to as he remembered back to the tale Laslow, Odin, and Selena had told him, a tale involving two gods, a portal leading to the past, and a legendary sword.

"And…and what of it?" Xander said finally. "What're you going to do about it?"

Laslow shrugged. "Whatever it takes," he said simply. "Whatever it takes to make you—well—not unwell."

* * *

"Here's your room," Leo said emotionlessly. Trying to lighten the mood, he added, "If you get anything on the sheets, just yell bloody murder. Unless it's from your body. In that case you're on your own,"

Azura blushed furiously as she pursed her lips. "Leo, that's not appropriate to say!"

Leo sighed. "Yeah, yeah," he said tiredly. "I know."

Azura tilted her head curiously at how tired Leo seemed to be as well. "Leo, is anything wrong?" she asked.

Leo opened his mouth to reply to her question, but Corrin interrupted him by grabbing onto Azura's wrist. "Let's go, Azura," Corrin said flatly.

After nodding to Leo in thanks for him leading them to their room, Corrin closed the door behind him. He unclasped his cape and tossed it over a nearby chair, as Azura had watched him do so many times before. As for Azura, after removing her white habit and slipping out of her travelling clothes in favor of her usual white dress, she sat on the bed next to Corrin, who was leaning back against the headboard.

Noticing the frown on her husband's face, Azura shifted over so that she was sitting next to him, her head on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Corrin opened and closed his mouth, unsure of how to reply. "I don't know," he said truthfully. "Something…something about how Xander was acting back there in the hall was a bit…different."

"I saw," Azura said. "He snapped at you, didn't he?"

Corrin nodded. "He's never snapped at me before like that before. Sure, there were a couple times where he shouted at me because I did something stupid during my childhood, but always with a reason, whether it was simply be being dumb at the time or acting up, but every time he snapped, there would always be a reason behind it."

"And?" Azura prompted.

Corrin sighed and shook his head again. He brought his knees up to his chest, catlike, and rested his chin on them. "Except this time, there was no cause to snap at me," he said wearily. "All I wanted to do was to make sure he was alright, but then he pushed me away!"

"Maybe he's just tired?" Azura suggested. "Acting as king isn't the easiest job the world, you know."

"Maybe," Corrin said half-heartedly. "But then why did Leo look so tired as well? And what about Laslow? The way he reacted made it look like Xander's behavior was new to him."

"Maybe it was," Azura said thoughtfully, and she twirled Corrin's hair around her fingertips.

"You know," she said suddenly, "if this bothers you so much, why don't you talk to Xander about it? Maybe then you two can…reconcile, I guess?"

Corrin pursed his lips. "I don't know," he said gloomily. "Maybe Xander actually hates me now, and that was why he snapped at me in the first place."

"No one could ever hate you for no reason," Azura said softly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "You're much too kind and loving for people to simply hate you. I mean, if  _I_  could forgive you for peeping on me while I bathed, I'm sure anyone could as well."

"That's different," Corrin said, face turning a slight shade of pink. "We were already courting when that happened, so that one doesn't count."

"What about when you walked in one Flora and Felicia while they were in the bathhouse, then?" Azura asked teasingly. "They forgave you, didn't they?"

"Only because they threatened to tell you," Corrin said defensively.

"I still found out, didn't I?" Azura asked. She pushed him on the shoulder playfully. "See, Corrin? Nobody could ever hate you for being, well,  _you_. The only ones who would are all dead now, gone with Anankos."

Corrin chuckled and pushed her back, though with less force than she had with him. "Yeah, well, that still doesn't make me feel better about Xander."

"Just talk to him," Azura urged, stroking his cheek. "I promise that if you do, you'll find closure."

Corrin sighed and pecked her on the forehead. "Alright,  _fine_ ," he said with exaggerated weariness. "Guess I'll follow your advice  _again_."

Azura smiled happily as Corrin clasped his cape to his armor. "You only listen to me because you know I'm right," she said teasingly.

"Maybe," Corrin admitted. As he stood in front of the mirror, checking to make sure his armor and cape were in pristine condition, he glanced at Azura laying lazily on the bed, almost catlike.

"What about you?" he asked. "No offense, Azura, but I have a feeling this talk I'm about to have with Xander is going to be a private one. What'll you do while I'm gone."

"I don't know," Azura replied truthfully. "I might just walk around, see if I can remember anything from my childhood here."

"I thought you hated living here," Corrin said, raising an eyebrow.

"I did," Azura admitted, "but there were some things that charmed me when I was a child. Maybe they still do."

"Maybe," Corrin echoed.

* * *

_Knock knock_

Xander jerked as his eyes snapped open. His arm shot forward, accidentally knocking over a quill stand to his side. Yawning and blinking blearily, Xander glanced at the grandfather clock set against the wall. The time currently read as  _3:25_.

"I've been sleeping for thirty minutes already?" he mumbled sleepily to himself. "What a waste of time…"

_Knock knock_

Xander flinched as the door sounded again, and he hesitatingly called out, "Who is it, Laslow?"

Laslow's voice responded almost immediately. "It's your brother, milord!"

"Which one?" Xander asked exasperatingly.

"The one you shouted at earlier!"

Xander grimaced. No doubt Corrin was here to talk to him about that.

"Send…send him in," he ordered.

The door silently swung inward. As Corrin walked in and sat in the chair in front of his desk, Xander took the moment to close his eyes and breath, collecting his thoughts. The next time he opened his eyes, he felt much more prepared.

"Hello, Corrin," he said formally. "What do you need?"

Corrin swallowed nervously, his hands tightening their grip on each other as he leaned forward. "I…I need to talk to you, Xander."

Xander almost physically sighed in relief. At least he didn't sound angry.

"Ah, yes," Xander said, forcing himself to sound as if there was nothing wrong with the world. "What do you need to talk about?"

Corrin dropped his head, and sighed. "Come on, Xander," he said, almost pleadingly. "Drop the act, will you? We're brothers! And if that's not enough justification for you to act like you're my brother, then at least treat me like your equal!"

Xander frowned. "What are you talking about, Corrin?"

"I think we both know what we want to talk about with each other," Corrin said. He jabbed a thumb towards the door. "Back there, in the hall, you snapped at me. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, except for the fact that you  _never_  snap at anyone unless they've done something to deserve it."

"Corrin—"

"And not only that," Corirn interrupted. "I noticed that both you and Leo looked…well, the two of you just looked  _tired_ , defeated, almost beaten. What's going on? How can I help?"

Xander sighed and leaned back in his chair, clapping a hand to his forehead. "There's nothing you can do to help," he said. "This is my burden to bear, not yours."

Corrin shook his head exasperatedly. "You know, there's no point in trying to lie to me," he said. "Laslow told me everything while I was waiting outside."

"He did  _what?_ " Xander leaned forward, planting his palms on the desk with enough force to cause the ink in the ink bottles to quiver. "What did he tell you?"

"Everything," Corrin said simply. "He told me about how you've been grieving Charlotte's death by drowning yourself in your work. He told me about how stressed you've been because of your role as king, and he told me about how ever since you returned to Nohr, you've literally been doing nothing except work, sleep for maybe three to four hour  _each day_ , and then more work."

"Is that so?" Xander asked.

Corrin nodded. "I trust Laslow on this. He's been…a reliable friend so far, both to me and to you, but mostly to you. That's why I'll trust him when it comes to your wellbeing."

Xander scoffed as he pushed aside a pile of papers between him and Corrin. "So what are you going to do about it?" he asked. "Laslow already talked to me after I shouted at you, but even he couldn't do anything to help me. How can  _you_  help me anymore then?"

"I can't help you," Corrin admitted. "And I won't help you. All I can do is tell you how to get better."

Xander scoffed again. "Are you a therapist now, little prince?" he asked sarcastically.

Corrin chuckled. "No, but the doctor in charge of administering to Gunter is. I've picked up on a few tidbits of advice from him, and all I can do is share them with you."

"Let's hear it then," Xander said wearily. "Maybe he knows something I don't."

"Maybe," Corrin said hollowly. "Just maybe…"

* * *

Azura could have forgotten about her childhood in Nohr. She could have forgotten the dim hallways pervading throughout the entirety of Castle Krackenburg. She could have forgotten the way how certain tapestries on the wall looked ever-so-slightly off-center, as if they were meant to hide the bloodstains of slain children. She could have forgotten all of that, but the one thing she will  _never_  forget about Castle Krackenburg is her room.

There, she felt truly safe. There, she knew no one other than her mother could enter. And it was there that Shura spirited her away from Nohr.

And it was where she now stood, unsure on how to continue.

The door looked the same as it always had, made of dark oak with a small wooden sign with her name carved in it. Even the doorknob looked the same, with a small dent in it where the other children had smashed the head of another less fortunate child into it.

A shiver passed through Azura's spine.

_It's okay,_  she said to herself.  _All of them are gone now. It's just me. I'm one of the last ones. I'm a grown woman now. There's nothing they can do to hurt me._

Steeling herself, Azura laid her hands on the brass doorknob…and turned…and turned…

The door creaked open noisily, and Azura coughed as a veritable cloud of dusted emerged from where the door scraped along the floor. Fanning her hand in front of her face to wave away the clouds of dust, Azura warily walked into her childhood bedroom.

To Azura's surprise, everything was the same, and when she meant everything was untouched,  _everything_  was untouched. When Azura walked over to the small desk beside her bed, the yellowed diary page was still opened to the same page, complete with the scrawl near the middle of it where Shura had dragged her away in the midst of her writing.

She turned around, taking in the sight. The moth-eaten blankets on her bed still bore the same design, a cartoon dragon with comically large puppy-dog eyes. At the time, she had no idea why dragons fascinated her, but now she knew why.

When she gingerly opened the closest, she yelped and ducked her head as a swarm of moths emerged. The bugs flew lazily around the room, as if confused, before hiding under Azura's old bed.

She made no move to check the bed.

Azura's eyes widened as she remembered why she came to her room. Preparing herself for the horror that was undoubtedly about to follow, she carefully reached under her bed with an old clothes hanger. A veritable  _puddle_  of bugs and other monstrosities crawled out from underneath, but luckily, Azura was able to find the treasure she was looking for on the first try.

Brushing off a few stray beetles and blowing away the dust, Azura gingerly opened the box, praying fervently that the object she so desired was still there, though based on how the rest of the items in her room was untouched, she doubted it would be any different for the object in the box.

Azura couldn't help but smile and giggle quietly to herself as she saw the letter addressed to " _my fewchur prince"_ was still intact and readable, though still yellowed with age.

She quickly slid the box back underneath the bed before leaving the room. Before she closed the door for good, she gave one last look around the room. She silently thanked the shattered window beside her bed for allowing her to live the life she had now before sealing the room away for good.

* * *

Azura had been hoping to make it back to her room she and Corrin shared before he made it back from his talk with Xander, but unfortunately, when Azura opened the door, Corrin was already sitting in the leather armchair next to the fireplace, reading a book. When Azura tried to close the door as quietly as she could behind her, Corrin's eyes snapped up, and his eyebrows lifted in pleasure as his gaze rested on his wife's figure.

"Azura!" he said cheerfully. "How went your little 'sightseeing trip?'"

Azura yelped and jumped slightly, trying to hide the yellowed letter behind her. "C-Corrin!" she said. "I thought you went to—"

"I did," Corrin said. "And it…well, I think it went as well as I think it could have. I can't say for certain, but I have a feeling that Xander is going to get a lot better."

"Oh, t-that's good," Azura said as she walked over to the nightstand. She subtly tried to slip the letter into the horror novel she brought along on their trip, but to her surprise, Corrin wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed himself into her.

"What's that?" he asked, taking the letter.

"Be careful!" Azura scolded, trying to retrieve the letter. "It's very old!"

"I could tell," Corrin said playfully. "Was it from your childhood?"

"Can you please give it back to me?" Azura asked, exasperated. "It's very valuable to me!"

"But what is it?" Corrin asked teasingly. "Is it a love letter to your future lover?"

"Yes!" Azura squeaked. "Er—I mean no! It's not! Give it back!"

Corrin laughed gently as Azura dug her elbow into his rib-cage and he released her. "Alright then," he said. "No more teasing I guess. But I still want to know, what is it?"

Azura embarrassingly hid her face in her hair. "It…it was what you said it was," she whispered, mortified.

Corrin leaned forward. "What was that?" he asked. "I couldn't hear you over the sound of you being  _absolutely_  adorable just now."

"S-stop!"

This time, Azura also hid her face with her hands as she blushed scarlet red. "I'm not!"

"You're not what?" Corrin said mischievously as he laid an arm around Azura's shoulders.

She allowed him to guide her to where he had been sitting in the leather armchair. Taking a moment to mark the page he was on and to set it aside, Corrin sat down in it, cradling Azura's slenderer frame against his.

After managing to overcome her mortification, Azura slowly lowered her hands. "It…it was a love letter," she admitted quietly.

Corrin rose an eyebrow, though this time out of pure curiosity instead of playful teasing. "Oh really?" he said. "Who is it to?"

In response, Azura simply handed the letter over to Corrin, who's eyebrows furrowed as he read the name of the recipient.

"To  _'My fewchur prince_?'" he asked. "Is that supposed to be the word 'Future?'"

Azura nodded her head, trying to press herself even further into Corrin's warm frame. "Y-yes."

Corrin chuckled. "Well, nobody's perfect I guess," he said. "Not even you, Azura."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Azura said, now indignant. "I was  _seven_  at the time!"

"And when  _I_  was seven, I was already reading philosophical texts and deciphering them," Corrin argued.

"That's different!" Azura retorted. "I'm a dancer, not a scholar like you, Corrin!"

"I thought you were a songstress?"

"I am! I can also dance too, you know!" Azura said defensively.

Corrin chuckled again as he squeezed her. "Relax, Azura. I'm just teasing you, no need to get so worked up."

Azura pouted as she folded her arms. "Fine then," she said. "Tell me you love me then."

This time, Corrin laughed out loud. "Gods, you can be really demanding sometimes, you know that?" he said.

Despite herself, Azura could feel the ghost of a smile creeping on her lips. "Yes well, I'm also married to a love-sick sap."

"I don't see how that has anything to do with this," Corrin replied.

"It has everything to do with this," Azura argued.

"Whatever you say, Azura."

"Mmhmm…"

"…"

"…"

"So…you want to read this love letter together?"

"…sur—it's not a love letter!"

"Then what is it then?"

"It's…it's…it's a love letter…"

* * *

_Dear Fewchur Prince,_

_Please take me away from here. I dont like it here The other people are mean. They keep pulling my hair and pushing me They keep trying to get me wet using goats blood. the grownups ar also mean. whenever I want to talk to them they push me away. Only Mother and father talks to me now but mother looks sad all the time and father is busy all the time. I wish someone like you would come to take me away I want you to love me and give me pretty clothes and tuck me into bed and give me kisses. If you do that I will love you forever and ever!_

_Love,_

_Azura Rheos_

* * *

"Gods, your handwriting and grammar at the time could kill just by having people read it."

"And  _you_  can do better, Corrin?"

"Just saying. On an entirely unrelated side note, you were just as needy back then as you are now."

"Am not!" Azura pouted. "When do I ask for you to 'give me pretty clothes' and to 'tuck me into bed?'"

"You literally just asked me to tell you that I love you," Corrin deadpanned.

Azura turned herself away. "T-that's different. But still, I don't ask you to tuck me in every night, do I?"

"That's true, you don't," Corrin admitted. Suddenly Feeling mischievous and sultry however, Corrin whispered into her ear, "But you may ask me to tuck you in tonight when I'm done with you."

To his delight, Azura turned over so that she was face-to-face with him.

"Very well then," she whispered warmly, equally as quiet. "I shall require a  _good_  tucking then."


	8. The Duel

"The King and Queen have returned! The King and Queen have returned!"

Otis looked up from his deck as the shout of the herald rang out across the city, his magically-enhanced voice echoing. The old man quickly jumped out of his seat and limped to the window, pausing only to thump his back with a fist.

A few days ago, Otis had woken with such a terrible pain in his lower back that Lilith was forced to call a healer. As fortunate as he had been to have Lilith close by, what Otis would've traded to have a more professional healer, even he didn't know.

A bitter smile crossed Otis' face as he remembered how condescending and patronizing the healer, who didn't seem much older than the desk in his study, had been during the healing. Called him  _grandpa._  Grandpa! Didn't they realize, these young'uns?

_My name is Otis Argyis,_  he would have thundered, had the healing not totally sapped his strength.  _Chamberlain to King Corrin and former retainer of the late King Theophilus! How dare you refer to me as grandpa!_

"Youngsters today," muttered Otis to Lilith as the healer trotted out of his quarter, a lightly amused yet mollified look o the woman's face. "No respect."

Then he shuddered as he considered this statement. Lilith laughed softly before stifling her giggles behind a hand.

"Ye gods. I do sound old."

And using phrases like  _ye gods_  wasn't helping any.

Turning his thoughts away from the memory, Otis resumed his half-limp, half-walk towards to door, pausing again to take the cane resting against the side of his desk. The cane was, in fact, a modified broadsword, it's hilt and scabbard specifically created to take on the appearance of an unassuming, plain-looking cane.

Otis had requested the cane to be made a few days after being appointed as chamberlain, much to Corrin's dislike. The young king had argued that with Anankos dead and servants scattered, there was no need for him to be taking up arms again in his old age.

To that, Otis had simply replied, "My heart has always belonged to the royal family, milord. Yes, Anankos' servants may have been scattered, but they are still out there, undoubtedly seeking revenge for their master's death. Better have a crippled old man as your guard than not at all." And so, reluctantly, Corrin had the cane made.

A grin broke out across Otis' wrinkled face as he glimpsed Lilith running towards the main gate as well, her pale hands lifting her long skirt above her ankles. As soon as he saw the blue-haired woman running across the courtyard, Otis quickened his hobbling.

However, by the time he had arrived, King Corrin and Queen Azura had already arrived and had even dismounted their horses. Already, servants and retainers were milling around them, checking them for any stray bags and injuries while they waved them exasperatedly.

An easy smile spread across Otis' face as he saw his young liege safe and sound. Despite being armed with the knowledge that King Corrin was one of the strongest warriors alive in the land, he still had nightmares of Theo's fate befalling the young man.

Lilith had just finished giving Corrin a firm but emotional handshake. Otis knew that she secretly wished to throw her arms around him and welcome him back the way a loving sister should to her brother, but it would've looked suspicious to see an attendant hugging her king. Rumors would surely start appearing, and Otis had no intentions of dealing with. As for now, however, a simple handshake would have to do. Behind Corrin, Otis glimpsed the telltale blue hair of Queen Azura disappearing into a doorway leading back into the castle, two heads of salmon pink and ice blue following.

Corrin frowned and turned his head as Lilith said something to him. His mouth moved in a "what?" and Lilith sighed as she stood up on her toes to say something directly into Corrin's ear.

Eyes lighting up, Corrin straightened up and cast his eyes around. As soon as his ruby-red eyes found Otis smiling back at him from the crowd, a smile of his own grew upon his face and he made his way towards Otis, the servants and guards moving respectfully out of the way. Normally, Otis would've bowed deeply, but with the aching in his back, he was forced to simply twist his hand over his breast in the respectful Old Valla honor guard salute.

The grin on Corrin's face shrunk by a few molars as he pulled Otis into a brief but tight hug. "Long time no see, my friend," Corrin said as he pulled away. "I'm sorry to have been away for so long. I hope the workload of running the kingdom hasn't stressed you out too badly."

Otis shrugged, raising one shoulder and then lowering it. "Eh, I've experienced worse, your highness," he said humbly. "I'd rather experience running the kingdom in your lieu for the rest of my life over going through what Anankos did to us."

Corrin's grin continued to shrink as he nodded along. "I'm sure I would've done the same, Otis," he said earnestly.

Looking around to make sure nobody was eavesdropping, Corrin pulled Otis closer and said in a lower tone, "I heard about your back and the healer. If you want, I could have him dealt with."

Otis simply shrugged and stepped away. "I don't think there's a need for that, milord. It was only a jab at my age, and nothing more, really."

"Are you sure?" Corrin asked. "It wouldn't trouble me at all! I could just ask Kaze or Silas to deal with it, and you'll—"

"I insist," Otis said, twisting his hand again over his chest and bowing his head. "Though it's an honor to see you stoop down to the level os uf lowly chamberlains and attendants."

"You're like family to us!" Corrin said, throwing an arm around Otis' shoulders. "You were Theophilus right hand man! That practically gives you the same position as Kaze or Silas!"

"Not anymore," Otis said solemnly, stepping out from underneath Corrin's arm. "I've retired as a retainer. Now I can do is serve and take care of the things that don't require your attention for you."

"Aw, don't say that," Corrin said, resting his hands on Otis' shoulders. This time, he did not pull away. "Sure, I guess you serve as my chamberlain, which is technically lower than a retainer, but you're still a good friend to me and Azura! We wouldn't have wanted anybody else other than you to be our chamberlain!"

Otis pursed his lips and nodded as he rested one of his hands ontop of Corrin's. "Thank you, my king. You have no idea what it means to me to hear such praises coming from you," he said, craning his neck upwards to meet Corrin's red eyes. "It's good to see you back, safe and sound."

Corrin nodded thoughtfully as he looked up at the castle, it's gray walls dark against the midday sun.

"Yeah," he said. "It's good to be back."

* * *

"Ah, it  _really_  feels good to be back!"

Azura watched on in amusement as Corrin casually tossed his bag to the side of their room before flopping onto their bed. Corrin hummed in enjoyment as he grasped the edge of the blanket and wrapped it around himself so that he looked like a caterpillar with a tuft of white and very soft hair. Azura couldn't keep herself from smiling affectionately as she plopped herself down beside Corrin and patted his head.

Beneath her, Azura felt a slight vibration from the bed as Corrin hummed deep in his chest. The deep, rumbling hum, Azura learned, was yet another sign of Corrin's draconic nature. Like how a dog would wag its tail when excited or a cat purring and rubbing against one's leg when pleased, Corrin's rumbling hum was his own unique and  _Corrin-like_  way of showing affectionate, and it was one Azura found incredibly endearing.

"Come on, you," she said, gently tapping his ears. "Come on out. We have to unpack, you know."

"Why can't we just let the servants do that for us?" Corrin pouted, peeking his head out. "Isn't it their job?"

Azura paused for a moment before answering. This was where her experience as a political prisoner really shone. As a prisoner, she never received any service from retainers of servants save for being served food, but even then, she swore they would glare at her every time they set down a bowl in front of her. She knew better now that she suspected it wasn't actually the servants actually hating her but rather or own social anxiety, but old habits die hard.

"We…it's better if we try to make their jobs easier," Azura said slowly. "They…have a lot to do, and we should at least try to avoid putting any more on their plates."

Corrin groaned but unrolled himself, hands blindly reaching out for hers. Azura obliged him, allowing him to take her hands in his own and squeeze.

"Fine then, I guess," he said begrudgingly. "Let's get this over with."

After a few minutes of teasing and throwing rumpled balls of clothes at each other in the Sixteenth Tunic Wars, Azura and Corrin stood back in pride, their empty bags beside them. Save for the wrinkled bed sheets and tuft of hair sticking out the side of Azura's head, the room was now as spotless as it had been when they first entered.

"See?" Azura said, elbowing Corrin playfully in the ribs. "It wasn't that hard."

Corrin frowned and bumped her shoulder. "Says you," he said. "You had less stuff."

"Excuse me?" Azura said, pressing a palm to her chest in fake offense. "Last time I checked, a dress isn't something you just roll up and toss into a drawer. You have to take it out, make sure there's no wrinkles in it, make sure all the straps and ribbons won't come loose when you hang it, and  _then_  you have to figure out how to fit it into your wardrobe. I'd rather have more stuff than deal with having to put away fourteen dresses!"

"You only say that because you're the one who put all the crap you couldn't fit in your own bag into mine!" Corrin protested. "Half the clothing I pulled out from my bag wasn't even mine!"

"Likely story," Azura sniffed. "You're just being defensive because you don't know how to fold pants."

"What? No!" Corrin protested. "I-I know how to fold pants! It's…you're the one being defensive! You just don't want to admit that the reason why you have so much stuff was because people kept giving stuff to you and you kept taking it!"

"It's polite!" Azura said, exasperated. "How would you feel if you spent your money buying a dress for someone but then they told you they didn't want it?"

"Probably a lot better than if I had to pack and hang up fifty dresses," Corrin retorted.

Azura's eye narrowed. "Are you challenging me?" she asked dangerously. "Because I'll give you a fight if you're looking for one!""

Corrin snorted. "Don't make me laugh, Azura. We all know who's stronger on the battlefield."

A dangerous smile creeped it's way across Azura's face as her hand crawled its way towards one of the pillows on the bed.

"Who said anything about the battlefield?"

* * *

Corrin's eyes narrowed as he focused his gaze on his opponent in front of him. Azura did the same, her golden eyes almost as bright as the setting sun outside. A single drop of sweat slide down Corrin's face and over his eyes, causing him to blink. The sweat and grim expression on his face was the only sign of the half-dragon's nervousness. Meanwhile, Azura's hand tightened ever so slightly on the handle of her weapon as she wet her lips.

Before each other stood their greatest opponent. If they fell today, then everything they did up to point would've been pointless. They  _had_  to win. It was their duty, not just to themselves, but to their country as well, to make utter mincemeat out of the opponent standing before them.

As stared at their opponents, Corrin's foot shifted slightly forward and Azura took that as a sign to surge forward, her eyes wild and hair flying as she streaked toward her enemy, feet barely skimming the surface f the floor as she raised her weapon for the death blow.

"Time for your final bow!" she shouted as she fiercely brought down her weapon with all the strength she could muster.

Corrin's eyes widened as he realized the dangerous situation he put himself in and he raised his weapon in preparation. However, he moved a fraction of a second too late and so there was nothing he could do when Azura's pillow smashed across his face, sending him stumbling back into their bed, hands flailing as he desperately tried to find his balance. Azura would not let him escape that easily, however, and continued pursuing Corrin, smacking him mercilessly with her pillow.

"A-Azura! W-wait! Stop!" Corrin said, almost pleadingly as he raised an arm to stave off the next blow. He opened his mouth again to say something else, but whatever he was going to say was instantly silenced when Azura smacked him upside the chin so hard, he flew off his feet and landed on his back on the bed.

Even still, Azura would not cease her brutal assault on Corrin, and so when she jumped onto the bed to stand over Corrin, all he had to do was to wrap a hand around her ankle and pull to ensure her fall. Azura's eyes widened again, this time not in excitement or in determination but rather in shock.

She let out a  _whoomph_  as her back hit the bed with enough to force to drive out all the air in her body. For a few seconds, the only thing she saw was her hair falling across her face before she felt a weight settle on top of her. When she managed to brush aside her hair, she found Corrin kneeling on top of her, knees planted on both her sides, a pillow in each hand, and a huge grin on his face.

"Gotcha."

It was at this moment that Azura realized she made a grave mistake.

Azura closed her eyes and feebly raised her arms to ward off the incoming blows as Corrin started pelting her with the pillow, though nowhere near the amount of force she had been expecting. Eventually, his grunts of exertion became one of playful laughter and Azura started laughing as well when she reached out and grabbed Corrin by the shoulders and pulled him onto the bed, rolling so that she was on top this time.

Corrin went cross-eyed for a second as he adjusted to his new position before realizing that it was now Azura who held the pillow in her hand. He hastily reached out to grab Azura by the from of her shift and pulled her into a quick and chaste kiss.

All the blood rushed to her face as she gasped and covered her lips with one hand. Corrin grinned sheepishly as she narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion.

"That's not fair!" she complained. "Kissing counts as a distraction!"

Corrin simply rolled his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said innocently. "I'm just showing how much I love you!"

Azura stuttered and blushed an even darker shade of red as she threw the pillow at Corrin's face. "Shut It, you."

Corrin chuckled as he sat up. Azura crossed her arms and looked away, mildly upset that Corrin had gotten the best of her  _again_  in their little pillow fight, even if his most recent victory had been…unique, to say the least.

But all those feelings of anger and disappointment in her loss vanished as Corrin wrapped his warm arms around her again and pulled her close. The hair on Azura's neck stood on end as she felt Corrin's warm breath snaking its way across her bare skin, around her shoulders, and down her shift. She stiffened momentarily before relaxing and melting into him. Together, the two stayed like for a long time before Corrin shifted.

Eyelashes fluttering, Azura pulled away but stopped when Corrin's arms prevented her from moving.

"How about it?" he said, and how her skin rolled at hearing his voice just then! How did Corrin manage to sound so good just from that one question? "One more round?"

Azura's breath hitched in her throat and she pressed a palm to her rapidly rising and falling chest. She turned and kissed him on the lips, eyelids fluttering closed and face red. When she pulled away, she grinned shyly but met his gaze full on.

"You bet."


	9. Interlude: A God's Decree

Day had broken cold and gray, exceedingly cold and gray, when the hunter turned aside from the main trail and climbed the high earth-bank, where a dim and even less-traveled trail led Northward through the frozen forest. It was a rather steep bank, the hunter realized, and so when he reached the top, he took a minute to sit down against a tree and look up at the sky. There was no moon, nor was there even a hint of the glowing orb. It had been mostly clear all day, so the sudden gloom that befell the forest caused the hunter's spine to prickle in a way he hadn't felt in a long time.

Slung over the hunter's shoulder was a blood-soaked bag, the dark red liquid a deep black in the cold. Inside the bag was the skinned remains of a hare, the result of a long day's work. Despite the rather small meal the hare would provide, the hunter couldn't help but count himself as one of history's luckiest men. It wasn't everyday one managed to find, track down, and kill prey when it was this cold out. When it was this cold out, even the most hardened of mountain wolves and the most venerable of snow foxes would bury their snouts inside a pile of snow and wait out for a more opportune time to hunt.

Such was life in The Spine, the most inhospitable mountain range in Nohr, even considering how harsh Nohr was already.

The man shifted to gain a better view of the landscape before him. The trail to his home was roughly five miles long, uphill, and covered in three feet of snow. He had barely managed to walk two before collapsing under the tree. The snow was all pure white, rolling in gentle undulations. North and south, as far as the eye could see, was all white, flat and pure save when it was broken by a dark hairline that curved and twisted from around the tree-covered island to the south, and that curved away into the north where it disappeared behind another tree-covered island.

This dark hairline was the main trail—the trail the man had just so recently broken off from.

The hunter knew it was a foolish decision to travel alone when it was blizzarding like this. The wind blew such ferocity that it was impossible for him to even pull out his map without the parchment blowing all this way and that. The air around him was cold enough for his spit to freeze midway whenever he spat off to the side, and the man didn't dare remove his gloves or heavy woolen hat in fear of being frostbitten within seconds of exposure.

At his heels, a large dog sat obediently, waiting for its master to continue traveling. The dog looked more wolf than dog, but the hunter knew that any other breed would've froze to death long ago. When the hunter did not move, the dog curled its tail between its legs and laid down at his feet, head resting on the hunter's leg.

"I know, Buddy," the hunter said, his gruff voice muffled by a thick beard and an even thicker scarf around his face. He rubbed the dog between the ears. "No point in travelin' in this kind of weather. Better off making camp."

The dog bayed mournfully. Despite being built for the freezing cold, even the beast couldn't help but dread the miserable night that was sure to follow. Both man and animal were dressed in some of the best furs around, but even then, nobody in their right of mind would ever willingly camp out under the stars in The Spine during winter.

The dog stirred and hopped to its feet as the man began gathering supplies to make camp: wood, patches of fabric from his backpack to hoist up a makeshift tent, brushing aside a patch of snow to make room. When the hunter trudged into the forest to look for more firewood, the dog sat down on its haunches, rested its head on its paws, and waited for his return.

As the man stooped down to pick up a particularly fine-looking stick, a flicker of movement in the darkened trees caused to straighten back up, the firewood in his arms clattering to the ground.

"Who goes there?" the hunter called, his voice barely audible over the howling wind. When the only sound that responded to him was the wind, the hunter frowned and stooped back down to pick up the sticks.

Surely, there was nothing there, right? Just his eyes playing tricks on him, it had to have been.

When a twig snapped behind him, where he had set up camp, the man dropped his pile of sticks again and brought up an oak crossbow. He knew that the weapon would've been practically useless in this kind of weather and visibility, but he hoped the sight of the weapon would've given the intruder pause.

"Show yourself!" the man shouted, futilely loading an a bolt into his crossbow. This time, he was met with a response.

The dog's keening death scream.

The hunter instantly broke out into a run towards the campsite, the snow hampering him. When he burst out of the woods, the first thing he noticed was the figure standing over the body of his dog, a blood-red light surrounding its fingers. In the whirling snow, he was unable to make out the figure's gender, but when the hunter managed to loose a bolt towards it, the figure uncannily dodged it.

The hunter's eyes widened at how quickly the figure reacted and as he moved to load another bolt, the figure reached out towards him. The blood-red light shot out from the figure's hand towards him, enveloping him and lifting him off the ground.

The man screamed in pain as his boots left the ground. There were no words to describe the pain. It just… _hurt_. In the remaining few seconds he had before he lost consciousness from the pain, the man struggled to draw his dagger from his belt and hurl it towards the man, but an even greater wave of pain washed over him, forcing his hand down and his fingers to loosing, letting the blade fall to the ground.

The figure tilted its head, as if mildly curious by the hunter's dagger and moved towards him to pick it up. When the figure stooped back up, the hunter made one last, desperate attempt to escape by lashing out with his fist. To his surprise, his fist managed to make contact with the figure's hood, knocking it back.

What stared back at him was the last thing he remember.

It was a woman's face, with high cheekbones and arched nose, but what caught the hunter's attention was the  _eyes._ Blood red eyes, burning with madness and hate, stared back at him.

In his shock, the man's arm fell limply to his side again. The woman sneered at him derisively before rearing her hand back to strike him across the face. The man felt something liquid splash across his face, and then all time and memory ceased for him.

* * *

Iago scowled as he reached up to wipe away the blood on his face. The man's unconscious body fell limply to the floor and Iago took a moment to pull his hood back up over his head. It would not do for him to catch frostbite, especially on such a pretty little face like Tamora's.

Behind him, snow crunched as four more men emerged from the trees. Like him, their eyes burned blood-red, though not with the same amount of energy as his. Their eyes were simply the result of being resurrected using forbidden spells. One of the guards had a hole through his throat while another had the point of a broken sword sticking out his stomach. As Iago's eyes wandered over the dead men, he couldn't help but wrinkle his nose in disgust at his shoddy spells.

Iago had always been rather adept in black magic, which was one of the differences between him and his classmates back in Valla. Unlike normal magic, which called upon the user sacrificing either or own life energy or drawing on an inanimate object's own separate reserve, black magic required users to sacrifice their own blood to draw upon the life energies of others.

It was common knowledge that in order to have the greatest impact on their spells, a mage had to  _mean_  their spells to take effect. A half-hearted mage cast only half-hearted spells, and Iago was anything but half-hearted. But to see his own magic bring about such…feeble results, Iago couldn't help but feel disgusted towards himself.

"Same procedure?" one of the guards asked. Already, the three other undead men were moving towards the unconscious body to haul it back to the manor.

Iago nodded. "You know what to do. Strip him of any and all clothing. Strap him to a table, make sure he's conscious, and I'll do the rest."

The guard nodded before following the rest of his unit to move the body. As Iago followed them into the forest, towards the manor, he couldn't help but pray fervently to Anankos for his plan to work.

Iago had a rather  _grand_  plan for that damnable half-dragon and that blue-haired bitch he called his wife, alongside any children they may or may not have had since Anankos' death two years ago, but in order to pull it off, he would need more than a stone manor and its undead residents. What he needed was… _thralls._

Creating thralls required a live human, but in exchange for a such a rare resource, the magic cost was drastically weaker. Iago needed only a spark of magic to create a blood rune on the thrall's body, and once the blood rune was completed, the thrall would be completely under his control.

At least, that was what Iago had hypothesized.

Blood runes had been outlawed since the First War, and no ancient tomes or books Iago had managed to scrounge up provided the necessary chants needed to perform the ritual, but then again, the writers of those ancient tomes and books never had the power of a dragon running through their veins.

But in order to create thralls in the first place, he needed supplicants. Unlike the undead puppets he had created from the corpses of the manor guards and servants, supplicants were fully living humans, indistinguishable in every way from other humans except for two differences: their total and utter loyalty to him and their ability to be sacrificed to strengthen himself.

Creating thralls was a risky business that could just as quickly backfire on him if he didn't have the necessary energy needed to complete the already incredibly draining ritual, but that was where the supplicants came in. Instead of having their own, original blood running through veins, through the use of a small blood spell, Iago was able to have his own blood course through their veins.

While creating supplicants and supplying them with his own blood was a risky procedure that could end in total annihilation of the body and leaving Iago sore for days, by controlling even a small number of supplicants, Iago would be able to create and control a massive number of thralls, which was the third part of his preparation plan for Anankos' revenge.

In layman's terms, the more supplicants he had, the more thralls Iago would be able to create and the more powerful he himself would be. Only then would Iago feel confident in enacting Anankos' revenge. But for now, he had to focus on creating his first supplicant. He couldn't afford to let himself get distracted. Soon, Anankos would have his revenge.

And may the gods help whoever got in his way.

"Whatever it takes," Iago muttered under his breath as he and the four soldiers marched. "You shall have your revenge."


	10. The Sickness

Corrin's pen clattered to the table as he slumped over onto his desk in defeat and exhaustion.

" _Ugh,_ " he groaned. "I almost forgot how much of a hassle paperwork was! I guess Otis was right in warning us about taking such a long trip…"

He flapped an arm weakly towards Azura who was, like Corrin, also sitting at a desk, buried under a mountain of letters, reports, folders, and gods knows what else. Unlike Corrin, who was limply lying on his desk, Azura sat up nice and straight. Her eyes moved from one paper to another while she busily signed her signature at the bottom. Corrin groaned again as he saw how unfazed Azura seemed to be by the sudden tsunami of paperwork.

" _Azuuuura_ ," he groaned, flapping his arm towards Azura again. " _Heeeeelp me…"_

Azura sighed and lifted her eyes from the paper to gaze at Corrin lying pathetically facedown on his desk. A slightly amused yet irritated slash appeared on her lips before she suddenly sneezed, causing her vision to blur. A muffled  _bless you_  came from somewhere under Corrin's head. Azura managed to mutter back a  _thank you_  of her own before she sneezed again, this time so hard, she managed to rustle a few papers in front of her.

"Bless you again," Corrin mumbled, still facedown.

Once she recovered, Azura looked at Corrin and frowned. "You know it's not going to finish itself if you keep laying there," she said playfully.

"Yeah, yeah. I know," Corrin replied, lifting his head.

He looked out the window. Outside, the moon was a brilliant golden plane in the sky. The stars twinkled teasingly in the indigo night sky, as if making fun of Corrin for being cooped up within the castle, and save for a few watchfires dotted around the city, New Valla was dark and silent. In the distance, Corrin could see the moonlight refracting off the surface of the sea. A gentle breeze carrying the scent of the ocean wafted in through the open window, rustling a few papers and slightly tousling his hair.

Corrin sighed and looked back at the pile of papers on his desk. Now that he thought about it, the workload wasn't as bad as he initially thought. It was just…tedious, to say the least. After spending almost three months on his honeymoon and little else, Corrin had to admit returning to the life of a king to be somewhat…jarring.

"I guess I should've seen this coming though, what with us being gone for so long," Corrin sighed, picking his pen back up and scribbling his name at the bottom of the paper before setting it in a tray to his right."

"Next time, try keeping your celebrations short," Azura quipped, returning her attention to her work.

"Hey!" Corrin said, rather indignantly though Azura could tell he wasn't really offended. "I really thought you would've liked the honeymoon!"

"I did," Azura said flatly. "Now get back to work or else I'll tell Jakob you're done with your work so he can bring you more."

"Party pooper," Corrin pouted. "Why'd you have to go and blackmail me like that?"

Azura sighed in exhaustion before turning her head to sneeze again. This time, Corrin slightly raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. It was unlike for Azura to be sneezing this much. Even during the hike up the freezing mountain to find the Rainbow Sage, Azura hadn't let the elements get to her.

Azura sighed as she pulled out a handkerchief and blew her nose. After setting it aside, she turned her head and rested her cheek in the palm of her head to maintain eye contact with Corrin.

"I know you hate having to make up your work," she said soothingly. "I don't like having to play catch-up any more than you do but look on the bright side at least. Once we're done here, the workload should be a lot easier!"

Corrin sighed as he set aside a packet of papers. "If you say so," he said sullenly. "Still hate it though."

"I know you do," Azura said in a honeyed voice, akin to how one would speak to a child. "Now, finish your work or else no cuddles for you tonight."

"You just  _had_  to bring that up to motivate me, didn't you?" Corrin grumbled.

And no more words were shared that night.

* * *

When Corrin woke the next morning, he immediately noticed two things. One was the warmth spreading throughout his entire body, the result of spending a night cuddling with Azura. Seems like he did manage to finish his work after all.

The second, and more alarming, was how his hands met air instead of a warm body. He groggily patted the empty space where Azura should have been before snapping his eyes open. "Azura?"

The only response he received was the sound of what sounded like somebody coughing up a lung coming from the washroom.

Corrin sat up, rubbed his eyes, and handcombed a tuft of hair away from his eyes. "Azura?" he called again.

Again, he was met by the sound of someone coughing violently before a weak, timid voice called out, "I'm okay! Really!"

Corrin blinked several times as he tried to digest Azura's reply before deciding to fall back asleep was  _not_  the optimal response to hearing one's wife violently coughing in the early morning. Yawning, he swung his legs off the side of the bed and meandered towards the washroom.

"Azura?" he called again. "You okay?"

Azura poked her head out of the open washroom door, her hair an adorable mess as she nodded fervently. "Yes, yes!" she said, her voice sounding hoarser than usual, before hastily shutting the door behind her. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you for asking."

Corrin cocked his head curiously. Something was off about Azura's voice. Usually, her voice could be compared to an angel's, but this morning, she sounded less like an angel and more like a cat coughing up a hairball if the cat also had every kind of lung disease.

He rested a palm flat on the surface of the door. "I'm coming in," he announced.

"N-no, wait!" Under the crack of the door, he could see Azura's shadow moving frantically. He swore he heard her curse as something  _thumped_  to the floor. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, the door opened. Azura was standing in the center of the white-tiled room, her hands behind her back and an obviously-fake smile plastered across her face. Her nose was a bit redder than usual and she seemed rather short of breath. She was wearing a lilac colored nightgown, the hems of the dress reaching just to the middle of the thighs and leaving little else to the imagination.

Corrin looked around the washroom for anything out of the ordinary before returning his gaze back to Azura. Under his searching gaze, Azura seemed to clamp up and averted her gaze, though she made no move to cover herself. There was a strange yet oddly familiar odor around the washroom, though Corrin assumed it was only because of his heightened sense that he was able to smell it.

"What's wrong?" Corrin asked, his voice still croaky from just waking up. "Your voice sounds off."

"So does yours," Azura retorted before clamping her lips shut.

Corrin cocked an eyebrow before moving past her to splash some water from the sink onto his face. As he walked passed her, Azura turned so that she was always facing Corrin. When Corrin glanced up at the mirror, he saw Azura trying to sneak out of the washroom.

"Where are you going?" Corrin asked casually, glancing up at her in the mirror.

Azura froze and turned around, much like how a cat would when stumbled upon in the dark. In her hesitation, Azura was unable to keep her hands out of Corrin's line of sight and he spotted a tissue spotted with red in her hand. Corrin's draconic instincts flared as he turned and reached out to grab Azura by the wrist.

She yelped in surprise as he turned her around. He carefully pried her fingers apart to look at the tissue in her hand and it was then he realized what the odor was.

It was blood.

Or more specially,  _Azura's_  blood.

Corrin frowned and held up the tissue, a questioning look in his eyes. "What is this?" he asked worriedly. "Where are you bleeding from?"

"Corrin—"

"Are you hurt? Do I need to call a healer?"

"Corrin!" Azura interrupted sharply. "I'm fine!"

As if to soothe his concerns, she hopped up to simultaneously kiss Corrin sweetly on the nose and to grab the tissue out of Corrin's hand. Corrin managed to move his hand back fast enough to prevent Azura from grabbing the tissue, but his nose immediately wrinkled as he smelled traces of Azura's blood on her lips. Azura frowned and fell back to the flats of her feet as she noticed the expression on Corrin's face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Corrin's frown deepened as he glanced at the bloody tissue, then at Azura's mouth. Back at the tissue, then back at Azura's mouth.

"Are…you sure everything's okay, Azura?" Corrin asked slowly. "You're acting strange this morning."

Azura rolled her eyes and stepped forward to kiss Corrin a second time and to attempt to take back the tissue again, but again, Corrin managed to move fast enough to avoid Azura's prying hands. Frustrated, Azura frowned and cross her arms, glaring at Corrin.

" _Corrin_ ," she said, irritated. "Give it back."

"Not until you tell me what's going on," Corrin retorted. "You're acting strange this morning. I heard you coughing just then."

"I already told you, I'm  _fine,_ " Azura insisted. "Now give me the tissue, Corrin, or so gods help me, I'll pinch your ears the next time I catch you sleeping at your desk."

"I smelled blood when I walked in the room," Corrin said, ignoring the threat. He shook the tissue in his hand. "I also smelled blood on your lips when you kissed me just now. Tell me the truth, Azura. Are you hurt? What's going on?"

"I  _told_  you, I'm  _fine_ ," Azura snapped, finally managing to snatch the tissue out of Corrin's hands. Just as quickly, however, Corrin's hands shot out and gripped her around the wrists, preventing her from pulling away.

"Corrin! Let go!" Azura said, futilely trying to pull away. "Don't worry about me! I'm fine!"

" _Azura,_ " Corrin said, his voice low.

Azura stopped struggling and glared up at him defiantly. " _Corrin_ ," she said, equally as vehemently.

Red clashed against gold as the two argued silently with each other. Finally, Corrin sighed and averted his gaze. He had lost.

He released Azura's wrists and let his hands fall limply to his sides. Almost immediately, Azura hid her hands behind her back again and tried to back out of the washroom.

"Sorry,"" Corrin mumbled. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

Azura paused. That was true. Corrin always placed other's wellbeing above his own, and this was no different. She couldn't fault her husband for that, nor could she blame him for being a bit too overzealous in protecting her, even if it was a bit irritating at times.

After a moment's pause, Azura replied by simply saying "I know."

Corrin pursed his lips and nodded before turning away and stripping off his shirt. When Azura remained in the washroom, both transfixed by the sight of his toned body but also uncertain of how to tell him she did not blame him for his insistence, Corrin simply turned his head so that his hair covered his eyes.

"I'm going to change now. Mind if you step out?"

Azura felt something clog up in her throat at Corrin's simple request for privacy. Ever since they became married, rare was the time that one felt uncomfortable standing naked before the other, mostly because it led to other,  _steamier_  actions. Corrin asking her to leave meant he was either incredibly hurt or incredibly angry.

And Azura knew she was the reason behind both of those emotions.

Azura blinked, unsure of how to properly reply before simply closing her lips and nodding silently. When she turned to leave, however, the clogging sensation in her throat suddenly tightened and she instinctively hunched over, one hand clutching her stomach while the other pressed itself into her chest. A tiny tremor began, first in her chest, then in her throat, and before she knew it, blood splattered the floor beneath her as she broke out into a series of violent coughs.

"Azura!"

Corrin was instantly by her side, half dragging her, half carrying her to the toilet bowl as she continued to cough. For a moment, the only things Azura saw in front of her was the water in the toilet turning red and Corrin's hand moving in front of her to brave the red stream in order to brush some hair out of her face so she would have a clear shot.

Azura wasn't sure how long she spent there, kneeling besides the toilet, half coughing, half vomited blood while Corrin crouched steadfastly beside her, murmuring words of encouragement as he held her hair out of her face and rubbed her back soothingly. Finally, after what felt like hours, Azura's cough faded to almost nothing and she woozily fell backwards onto her rear, hands on either side of her. Corrin gently moved his hand up to her face and caressed her cheek, rubbing away a spot of stray blood with his thumb.

For a while, the two simply sat there, Azura staring woozily at the wall and Corrin caressing her cheek while keeping a watchful eye out in case she broke out into another coughing fit. Finally, after what felt like several more hours, Azura felt her head had cleared enough for her to stand back up. Corrin's hand automatically moved to rest on her back to steady her as she clambered to her feet.

"Are you  _sure_  you don't need to see a healer?" Corrin asked.

In response, Azura shook her head. Her chest suddenly felt incredibly tight, despite the looseness of her nightgown. Her breath came hard, and she felt herself sway on her feet. A look of concern broke out on Corrin's face as he rested his palm on her forehead before immediately retracting it.

"You're burning up," he said. "You're as hot as a furnace!"

"Feel like one too," Azura mumbled. She leaned against Corrin for support. "I…I can't breathe…"

The look of concern on Corrin's face evolved into something nearing panic as he looked around. Azura's chest tightened even more at how she caused Corrin to worry.

"Uh, don't worry!" he said. "I'll put you in bed really quick, and then I'll have Jakob or Felicia summon a healer for you! Can you wait for a few minutes?"

Azura nodded. Corrin immediately moved his arm down to her knees and put Azura in a bridal carry, setting her down gently on the bed. Azura turned her bed to watch him walk briskly over to the door. Muffled words were passed between him and some unknown person, most likely Jakob. Azura saw a murky figure wander around her and raise something over her head before Corrin's face appeared back in her vision. She felt him clutch her hand.

"I just told Jakob to get the healer," he said. "He told me that they'll get here within a few minutes or so, but until then, Jakob had to put you to sleep so they'll have an easier time examining you. Jakob already cast a spell on you which means you should fall asleep any minute now."

"Oh…okay," Azura said, her voice barely above a whisper now. "C…Corrin?"

"Hmm?" Corrin pressed her ears up against Azura's lips to hear her words.

"I'm…sorry," she said. "I'm sorry…for yelling at you…"

Corrin sighed and tightened his grip on her hands. "No, no. I understand why you were upset," he said. "You wanted some privacy and I didn't give it too you. I'm sorry."

As Corrin stood back up, Azura pulled on his arms, causing him to remain kneeling next to the bed.

"One more…one more thing," Azura croaked.

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry for…for causing…so many…so many problems…"

Corrin's eyebrows knit together. "What problems?" Corrin asked. "Being sick?"

Azura nodded even as she struggled to keep her eyes open as she reached out to cup Corrin's cheek.

"It's  _fine_ , Azura," Corrin said soothingly. "I don't remember you ever being sick before. Maybe this is just your body's way of catching up!"

"But…"

"No buts," Corrin said, interrupting her by resting a finger on her lips like how she did to him so many times before. "Save your energy. The healer will be here soon. Go to sleep now, alright?"

Azura slightly moved her head in an approximation of a nod. "Okay…"

Corrin smiled gently and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Great. I'll see you in a few seconds then."

* * *

Silas and Otis were frowning and speaking to each other in hushed tones over the journal containing the day's events when Corrin pushed his way through the throne room door, his complexion as stormy as a Nohrian night. Otis immediately bowed as best he could and twisted his hand over his chest in a salute while Silas snapped to attention before resting a comforting hand on Corrin's shoulder.

"We heard what happened," the retainer said in a low voice. "Sorry to hear that Azura won't be joining us today."

"How did you know?" Corrin looked up in surprise. "I specifically requested Felicia and Flora to—ah."

"Fun fact, milord. When your wife also happens to be the one overseeing the queen's health when she's sick, you tend to pick up on a few things," Silas said, grinning. Despite the familiar cocksure grin on his face, Corrin could see how the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I'll…I'll keep that in mind," Corrin said simply before turning to Otis.

"Milord," Otis said with another bow. "I would ask you how your day has been so far, but judging by how somber Silas was this morning, I assume such a question would be unneeded?"

Corrin rose an eyebrow. "Silas? Somber? Since when?"

Silas shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, I'm just trying to keep the mood appropriate. Wouldn't do for the castle to be partying it up while Azura was in her room, coughing up blood and stuff."

"It's  _Queen_  Azura, Silas," Otis scolded. "Drinking buddies, you and our king may be, but that does not excuse you from propriety."

"It's fine, Otis," Corrin said, patting the older man on the shoulder. "I'm used to it. And besides, he only does it in private."

Otis harrumphed and muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "Kids these days," though both Silas and Corrin could tell it was done in jest rather than genuine offense.

Corrin sighed and pulled at his chin before shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "Anyways, what's on the plan today, Otis? I heard some nobles wanted to talk to me, and I want to finish as much paperwork today as I can, so—"

"Oh, I doubt you'll have time to finish your paperwork today," Silas sniggered. He grabbed the thick journal s out of Otis' hands, ignoring the older man's cry of indignation, and showed Corrin a specific page. Corrin's eyes almost popped out of his head as he read over today's events.

"Oh, heavens above," he breathed. "They really don't want me next to Azura today, do they?"

Otis nodded somberly. "As harsh as it may be, but rarely do nobles care about the health of their king and queen when money is involved. Even more so if they know next to little about their queen, which I'm sure you can relate to."

Silas nodded along. He slung an arm around Corrin's shoulders, which earned him another scolding glare from Otis, and slapped him playfully on the chest. "Don't worry, Corrin. The day will be over before you know it."

Corrin sighed heavily before himself upright. "Fine then," he said. "No rest for the weary it is, then."

* * *

When Lilith pushed her way past the doors leading to their private quarters, Corrin stood up so fast, he knocked over the chair he was sitting on. Likewise, Silas and Kaze reacted so quickly, Kaze had almost hurled his shuriken across the room had Silas not stopped him by grabbing his arm. Embarrassed, the ninja nodded in apologies towards Lilith who simply greeted him with an easy smile.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'm used to being threatened with violence. Father issues, you know?"

Corrin hurriedly rushed towards Lilith and rested his hands on the shorter half-dragon's shoulders. "Azura," Corrin demanded, his voice rough from talking all day. "How is she? Is she—"

"She's doing just fine," Lilith replied, reaching up to pry Corrin's hands over her shoulders. She squeezed them ever so slightly, mindful of the two guards in the room alongside Kaze and Silas.

"The doctor said that it was just a rare bug normally found in Nohr," Lilith explained. "Noncontagious. He's already treated almost a dozen such cases among traveling merchants, so Azu— _Queen_  Azura's case was nothing special to him. She'll be better by tomorrow morning."

Corrin sagged in relief and bowed his head. "Oh, thank the gods," he said thankfully. He looked up hopefully at Lilith. "Is she—"

"Go on," Lilith said good-naturedly. She gestured towards the closed door with her head. "She's been asking to see you, actually. Just make sure you keep quiet in there. The healers are still working."

Lilith's final sentence had barely left her mouth before Corrin pushed his way into the darkened room, the door closing behind him. Kaze reached out towards Corrin, as if to warn him against going into a room with an ill person inside but decided to trust Lilith's judgement that the illness was contagious and lowered his arm. Silas crossed his arm and leaned back against the wall as he closed his eyes in preparation for another nap.

"Are you falling asleep  _again_?" Kaze asked, somewhat irritated by his fellow retainer's laxness. Ever since the end of the war, Silas had reverted back to his relaxed, easy-going nature.

That wasn't to say he slacked off in his duties, far from it, but Kaze was slightly disturbed at how  _easily_  Silas managed to fall asleep when he was bored. Even Corrin had some sort of self-restraint, but not Silas. Silas probably would fall asleep standing up if he knew how to, and Kaze  _knew_  he was practicing how to whenever Corrin held court.

"If Silas sleepy, Silas sleepo," the green-haired paladin said. He rested his lance next to him on the wall and closed his eyes.

"And by the way, Kaze. I know when you're trying to see if I'm sleeping while standing up. I can see you, you know."

"But…if you're asleep—wait, but you're not! Wait—how am I…never mind. Don't' fall over, Silas."

"Mmhmm."

Lilith could do nothing but shake her head in exasperation before making her way out of the hallway, wedges clacking against the floor.

* * *

Inside, the first things Corrin noticed was the  _darkness_. The curtains were drawn and save for a couple of candles illuminated by orange flame, the room was black.

The second thing Corrin noticed was the  _smell_. He could smell the distinct odor of Azura's blood, which caused him to unconsciously growl and hunch his shoulders like he would raise his hackles when he was a dragon.

But there was another smell, Corrin realized a second later. The smell of juniper, peppermint, lavender, chamomile, but most bizarrely,  _pineapple._

_Guess the doctor must really like pineapple_ , Corrin thought to himself as he half-felt, half-stumbled his way across the room to where he knew Azura would be resting on his bed. On his way there, he passed by one of the healers, hunched over a book.

How the healer was able to read in such darkness and through the signature bird-beak masks all healers wore when treating someone in their own home, Corrin had no idea, but as he tiptoed past, the healer raised his head and looked around.

"Ah, milord!" The healer raised his mask to reveal a pudgy-faced man with eyes of brown. "I didn't hear you come in! Are you here to see the queen?"

Corrin nodded silently, heeding the last part of Lilith's warning. "Yeah. Is she—"

"I'm right here, Corrin," said Azura's voice. "I'm on the bed."

Corrin instantly turned towards the sound of her voice and walked towards the source of it. As he neared the bed, the pudgy-faced healer lit a lantern and set it on the nightstand next to Corrin and Azura's bed.

In the dim orange light, Corrin could barely make out the details of Azura's form. He couldn't tell if she was naked or not, nor could he tell if she was paler or not, but he could tell that her eyes were alert which he took to be a good sign. She was also able to move when he sat on the bed, which was a vast improvement compared to her near-immobility that morning.

Corrin looked down as he felt a familiar set of slender fingers intertwining themselves around his, and he tightened his grip on them as he felt Azura's fore head with his palm. She was silent as he did so and closed her eyes to enjoy his warmth as he checked her temperature.

"It's gone done!" Corrin said, amazed. He turned towards the healer, who had just finished packing up his supplies. "Thank you, doctor. I don't know how I could ever thank you."

"If she starts to burn up or cough up blood again, make sure to ask for Doctor Levinsk," the healer said. "That's my substitute while I'm gone in Hoshido. He's quite a bit younger than me, and much more in shape," he chuckled, "but I can assure you he can provide the same quality of treatment for a hairsbreadth more."

Corrin nodded and shook the doctor's hand, who seemed surprised to see the king thanking him, a humble healer.

"Thank you, doctor…" Corrin waited for the doctor to introduce himself.

"Urnsbrath," the doctor said. "Geovanni Urnsbrath, but you are welcome to just refer to me as Geo, your highness."

"Thank you, Geo," Corrin said earnestly, still shaking his hand. "Provide me the details of your payment, and I'll personally arrange it myself to have you paid in full, along with any expenses you may need for your journey to Hoshido."

The doctor blinked. He was a good man, unwilling to take charity from others below him if he could help it, but this was a  _king_  who was offering to pay him. Surely, nothing wrong with taking a trifle more than he needed from the rich, right?"

The doctor removed his bird-beak mask from his head and wiped his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief. "Well, if you wish, milord…"

* * *

As soon as Geovanni left the room, Azura turned her head towards Corrin and asked, "Can you open the curtains? I don't like not being able to see."

"I thought the doctor told me to—"

" _Corrin_."

Corrin sighed and chuckled ruefully. "Alright, alright," he said disarmingly. "Curtains and the risk of catching a cold it is, then."

Azura sighed in relief as she felt the cool sea breeze rush past her. Save for a pair of shorts and white tank top the doctor had her change into in order to treat her while preserving her modesty, she was almost naked, and  _boy_  did it feel good to have the air brush up against her skin.

"You have  _no_  idea how good it is to not be sick," Azura sighed, turning onto her back to snuggle her face into a pillow.

"I would know," Corrin said cheekily, sitting next to her on the bed. "flora and Felicia used to treat me all the time, you know."

"Did they now?" Azura said.

Corrin nodded. "Mmhmm. I think it was either Flora or Felicia that almost died trying to save me from a fever. I don't remember the details, but they took the heat from body in and gave me the coldness from their body. Either way, it worked wonders."

"Oh really?" Azura said, allowing a note of jealousy to slip into her tone.

Corrin picked up immediately and wisely chose to avert the topic. He gently slapped the bed next to Azura's head and outstretched arm, causing her to flinch a little bit in alarm. "Anyways, feeling any better?"

In response, Azura playfully wrapped her legs around Corrin's shoulders and chest and brought him down to her level so that his head was resting against her chest so he could listen to her heartbeats. "That answer enough for you?" she asked pleasantly.

"Hold on a moment," Corrin replied, prying himself free. "You're still sick, which means no kisses for you tonight."

"The doctor said that I'll be fine by morning," Azura retorted.

In response, Corrin gestured to the waning moon outside the window. "Doesn't look like morning to me," he said.

Azura rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said, not bothering to hide her disappointment. She cocooned herself in the blanket so only her face was visible. "You'll owe me tomorrow then."

Corrin grinned as he hung his cape over a nearby chair and stripped off his tunic. "We'll see," he said playfully.


	11. A Maze of Opposition

Corrin rubbed a spot on his forehead where a headache suddenly blossomed. Corrin was not an impatient man. On the contrary, Corrin was very patient and forgiving, always willing to lend an ear to anybody who needed it, but if there was anything in the world that was guaranteed to irritate him and topple the throne of calmness he sat on, it was holding court.

He didn't  _hate_  holding court. He just didn't  _like_  to hold it, and as Corrin tapped his foot in poorly concealed irritation, he found today to be the reason why he disliked the duty so much.

Corrin crossed his arms without bothering to conceal his impatience and irritation as he examined the two men before him.

The one on the right had a neck so thick, it forced his head to jut forward at nearly right angles to his shoulders, giving him a stubborn, somewhat dim-witted appearance. This was further intensified by how his heavy brow with its two cliffs of matted hair—almost long and thick enough that it would not look out of place on an ox—and bulbous lips that remained puckered into a pink mushroom, even when he spoke. Corrin knew better than to place his decision based solely on his appearances, however. No matter how rough the spine may look like, this book's words was as twisted and slippery as a jesters, if not more.

The only identifying feature of the second man was his pale skin, which Corrin knew was one of the defining characteristics of the Nohrians living in New Gyges. Hoshidans tended to tan more easily, while Nohrians, often going for weeks or months without properly bathing in the sunlight, often turned out as pale as a sheet of paper, though nowhere near as pale as Corrin, funnily enough. He held a knit wool cap that he wrung into a hard rope between his hands.

"You," Corrin said, pointing at him. "What was your name again?"

"J-Jerald, milord."

"Jerald," Corrin said, "How many of your chickens did he kill again?"

"T-thirteen, milord."

Corrin sighed and returned her attention to the thick-necked man. "I'm finding an uncanny coincidence here, Master Gambel. An unlucky number, by all accounts. This is the thirteenth time you've been accused of killing and eating Jerald's chickens, and it seems today is the day where your luck caught up with you."

Gambel shrugged. "Eh, never had much use for luck anyways. Back on the battlefield, ya gotta stay well-fed or else ya gonna be well-dead."

Corrin leaned forward and tapped the arm of the uncomfortable stone throne he sat on. "Listen to me, Gambel, and listen to me well. As forgiving as I can be sometimes, my patience is not infinite. Let me reiterate: this is the thirteenth time I've found you in my court. The fact that you were never arrested or punished in the past was because of the lack of circumstantial evidence. Even as thirteen is widely believed to be an unlucky number, today's fortune for you will be being found guilty of both theft and destroying someone else's property without offering proper recompense."

"I never denied it, my king."

Corrin tapped his finger on the clipboard Silas silently handed to him as he read the numbers scratched onto the parchment. "How did you even manage to eat thirteen chickens in  _five_  days? Is your appetite  _ever_ satisfied, Master Gambel?"

In response, Gambel gave Corrin a jocular grin and scratched the side of his face befor shrugging. The rasp of his untrimmed fingernails over his stubble annoyed Corrin, and it was only with an effort of will that he kept from asking him to stop and from rubbing his own, smooth chin. "Well, not to be disrespectful, milord, but fillin' ma stomach won't be such a problem if you fed us properly, what with all the work us builders work. I'm a large man, an' I need a bit of meat in ma belly after half a day lifting bricks and whatnot. I did ma best to not take anymore of Slim's chickens here—"

"'Slim?'" Jerald spluttered, indignant. "My name is Jerald! Your majesty, surely—"

Corrin silenced Jerald with a simple raise of his hand. "Quiet, Jerald. Your turn will come soon enough." He gestured towards Gambel again. "Continue."

"But two weeks of rations and watchin' these Hoshidans drive around all their animals they wouldn't share even if a man were starving…well, I'll admit, it broke me, made me give in to ma carnal pleasures, y'know? I ain't a strong man when I see a fat chicken, and I like plenty of it. An' I don't fancy I'm the only one willing to help himself. You only pick on me 'cause I'm the biggest."

_And that's the heart of the problem,_  reflected Corrin. New Valla was built to be a nation that thrived on trade from Nohr and Hoshido. Being next to the sea was a boon as well, as it meant a near endless supply of food, but even Corrin had underestimated the massive influx of immigrants from both Hoshido and Nohr. Had it not been for the thousands upon thousands of starving peasants from Nohr and thousands upon thousands of farmers from Hoshido who never had to share with anyone other than themselves, they  _would've_ had enough food, but with the massive population increase, Corrin and Azura had to impose a rather strict set of ration laws on the people, much to everyone's displeasure. Ryoma and Xander had given New Valla a substantial amount of gold in the event that such an event would come to pass, but even then, the sea could only support so much people.

"Your size has nothing to do with this," Corrin said. "And Jerald is not Hoshidan. He's from Nohr, the same as you." Corrin glimpsed Gambel's chocolate-brown eyes as he lifted his bushy eyebrows in surprise before letting them fall back down to cover his eyes. "And I understand your reasons. I too, am concerned about the current state of food in New Valla. However, New Valla is a  _country_  and should the people give into their 'carnal pleasures,' as you described, imagine the chaos that would follow! Just because we are a new nation, that does  _not_  give you or anyone else leave to ignore the rule of law as laid down by the royals from all three nations. Therefore, I order you to play a copper and a silver for each chicken you stole."

Gambel surprised Corrin by acceding without protest. "As you wish, milord," he said, bowing.

"That's it?" exclaimed Jerald. He wrung his cap even tighter. "A copper and a silver? That's barely a quarter of what I sell them for! If I sold them in any market, they'd—"

Corrin could not contain himself any longer. "Yes! You'd get more," he snapped, "but I happen to know that Master Gambel here cannot afford to give the chicken's full price, as I'm the one who provides his salary! As I do yours. You forget that if I decided to acquire your poultry for the good of New Valla, you'd get no more than a copper a chicken and be lucky at that. Do I make myself clear?"

"He can't—"

"Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?"

After a moment, the pale man subsided and bowed his head. "Yes, your majesty."

"Very well then," Corrin said. "You're both dismissed."

With an expression of sardonic admiration, Gambel touched his brow and bowed to Corrin before backing out of the throne room with his sullen opponent.

"You too," he said to the two guards standing on either side of the door. "Get back to the barracks and rest up. You deserve it for waiting through all that."

The guards relaxed momentarily before snapping back to attention and pounding their chest into their breastplate with a loud  _clang_  as a gesture of respect. "Sir!"

As soon as they were gone, he slumped in the throne with an exhausted sigh. The stone throne was not meant to be comfortable, far from it. It was designed to remind the rulers of Valla, both old and new, that being the ruler came at a price, and right now, Corrin felt the price was his sanity.

"Congratulations," Silas said sardonically, breaking protocol to sit on the dais in front of the throne. His ornate lance lay on the ground beside him as he leaned back and removed his helmet, freeing his familiar cowlick from the confines of the metal helm. "I think that was first time I ever saw you lose your temper like that."

"I shouldn't have been so harsh," Corrin said, burying his face in his hands. "I should've tried to reach a more diplomatic solution."

"I think you did fine, Cory. As my mum—"

"Do  _not_  call me Cory."

"As my mum used to say, a people has infinite wants, but a kingdom has infinite needs. You get what I'm saying?"

"You just memorized that from some old book," Corrin moaned, slumping back in his chair. "Trust me, I read enough of them. I don't need to fill my head with more random trivia."

Silas shrugged and got to his feet. "Whatever you say, Cory."

"Do  _not_  call me—ugh, nevermind." Corrin removed his crown from his head and absentmindedly twirled it around his fingers. "Is there any more for today?" he asked.

Silas shook his head as he leafed through a small journal he kept in his pocket. "Nope. According to Otis, Jerald and Gambel's case were last on today's list. Next time, it'll be—"

"Stop," Corrin groaned, waving a hand. "Please, no. I'm too weak. I don't want to hear it."

Silas simply grinned. "Whatever you say."

Corrin tried not to let his relief show, though he knew Silas would've guessed either way. Once a week, he held an open court to resolve New Valla's various disputes. Anyone who felt that they had been wronged could seek an audience with him and ask for his judgement. He could not imagine a more difficult and thankless chore. He would almost prefer doing paperwork than holding an open court.

Almost.

An old adage from a book Xander used to read to him when he was young was "A good compromise leaves everyone angry." And so it seemed.

Returning his attention to the matter at hand, Corrin told Silas, "Tell Otis to have Gambel reassigned. Give him a job where his talents of words will be useful. Quartermaster, perhaps, or even cook, just so long as it's a job where he'll get full rations. I don't want to see him before me for stealing again."

"Would you prefer having him back in here for not feeding people because he ate all the food in the kitchen, or for breaking people's teeth by accidentally adding a brick to the soup?" Silas asked sarcastically. "He's a builder, not a world-class chef, Cory."

"Do not call me Cory!" Corrin said, temper flaring. "I swear, the next time you call me Cory, Silas, I'll…I'll…"

"You'll what?" Silas asked tauntingly.

"I'll…I'll be very displeased," Corrin said lamely. He slumped back again in his throne. "Yeah, that sounds threatening. 'I'll be very displeased.'"

"It sure is," Silas snickered. "I'm quaking in my boots right now."

"Shut it, you."


	12. The Sound of His Heartbeat

When Azura pushed herself off Corrin and laid down next to him, panting and flushed with afterglow from their most recent activity, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. He kissed her lovingly on her brow and cheek before thumbing her cheek, wiping away a drop of sweat.

"Good?" he asked, his voice deeper and huskier than usual.

Azura wriggled the same way she always did whenever she heard Corrin's voice like that. It never failed to send the most pleasant of tingles down her spine whenever she heard him talk to her like that, and she responded by cheekily kissing him on the nose.

"Of course," she whispered back impishly. "Why wouldn't it be? You're the one doing the work, after all."

Her voice sounded higher-pitched than normal and there was a certain  _breathlessness_ to it that she liked hearing and that Corrin did so as well, based on his reaction to her words. His eyelids fluttered shut as he pulled her in even closer so that he was practically crushing her against his chest, but Azura didn't mind.

In fact, there was no other place she wanted be besides Corrin's arms after a lengthy lovemaking session, but there was another reason why Azura didn't mind Corrin crushing her against her chest.

_BA-BUMP_

A content smile found its way onto Azura's face as she closed her eyes and turned her head so that her ears were flat against Corrin's chest. She shifted her body so that she laid on top of Corrin again, her chest against his. Corrin breathed deeply as he moved so that Azura was more comfortable on top of him. Their legs intertwined once more, and Azura wrapped her left arm around and behind Corrin's neck. She knew she would most likely wake up without any feeling in that arm, but she couldn't bring herself to care at the moment.

She would gladly sacrifice any and all feeling in her arm if it meant being this close with Corrin.

_BA-BUMP_

As for her other arm, Azura moved it up past Corrin's face, pausing for a moment to brush some white hair out of his eyes before continuing its way up past his face. Corrin's right arm was currently wrapped around Azura's waist, leaving his left arm to lie limply next to his head. Azura took advantage of this to wrap her fingers around Corrin's, squeezing twice.

Azura's heart fluttered as Corrin squeezed back twice and she briefly looked up at Corrin. In the dark, his red eyes seemed to glow, as it did now, and when Azura shifted to press a kiss against his neck, his eyes closed and a deep humming sound emanated from somewhere deep within his chest, accompanied by a very comforting vibration.

_BA-BUMP_

When they married each other, Azura discovered she had an interesting (and slightly disturbing, according to Corrin) trait regarding Corrin's heartbeat. It seemed that no matter how fast Corrin's heart pulsed, Azura always managed to discern and tap out the same tempo, no matter the speed.

Corrin found it both amusing and disturbing, but Azura found it more curious than anything else. Was their bond so great that they were able to match each other's heartbeats?

_BA-BUMP_

Azura replaced her head over Corrin's chest. For a moment, it seemed his heart beat faster than normal, though it wasn't long before it slowed. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as Corrin's breath passed over them.

Azura forced herself to remain completely still as she counted the time it took for Corrin to breath.

_One…two…three…One…two…three…One…two…three…four…_

_BA-BUMP_

Azura wasn't quite sure why she liked the sound of Corrin's heart so much. Some old memory of her studies back in Nohr told her that it was purely a biological thing, that humans liked listening to the heartbeats of their partner's because emotions exists in the body as well as the brain. Her music teacher would have said that it was because the human heart beat, on average, at a tempo most people gravitated towards. Her mother would've said it was because the sound of a heartbeat was the first sound a child hears when it is still in the womb.

Azura's opinion, however, was much simpler. She just  _liked_  it.

She felt safe whenever she heard Corrin's heart. During the war, when Corrin had given her a bouquet of flowers for her birthday, she remembered how she reacted. She had blushed, of course, but that paled compared to what she had actually done. She remembered the look of surprise and happiness of Corrin's face when Azura gave him a hug. A short one, to be sure, but long enough for Azura to hear Corrin's heart for a fraction of a second. Their relationship was still in the works at the time, and while Azura felt vaguely attracted to Corrin at the time, it wasn't until she saw a Faceless carve a lip-less smile into Corrin's stomach that she realized she cared for him not just as an ally, or a friend, but as a  _lover_.

_BA-BUMP_

She felt comforted whenever she heard Corrin's heart. Following that horrifying injury, Azura would often spend many nights going without sleep, terrified of what nightmares would plague her. She always was a light sleeper but it became even more apparent when the nightmares came.

Sometimes, she would be plagued within images of her friends and family dying, their body's, still warm, lying face-down, motionless in a puddle of red. Once, she woke up, crying and babbling like a child when she had a nightmare of that exact same scenario, only instead of Ryoma, Takumi, Hinoka, or even Sakura, gods forbid, it was  _Corrin_  who was lying on the blood-soaked ground.

She hadn't slept a wink that night.

_BA-BUMP_

Whenever Azura heard Corrin's heart, it reminded her that he was alive and well. For every beat she felt in her ear, that was another second Corrin was alive. For every beat she felt in her ear, that was another second Corrin was with her. For every beat she felt in her ear, that was another second she could spend with Corrin.

She knew she only had a limited amount of time with Corrin on the world—everyone did with their loved ones—but she desperately wished she could spend every waking moment next to his side. Now, she knew that was impossible—they were the queen and king of their country and there will undoubtedly be times where she would not see Corrin for days or even weeks, but as the saying went, "absence makes the heart grow fonder."

She just desperately wished Corrin would leave her alone.

_BA-BUMP_

Once, Azura had bolted upright in the dead of night, chest heaving and palm pressed into her chest as she looked around for Corrin. She had been dreaming that she was lying with Corrin, though she would never admit it. She knew it was impossible for Corrin to have been with her at the time—he was still awake and in a war meeting with Ryoma and Xander—but it felt so real, so... _right_  to have Corrin underneath her.

Maybe that was why she always wanted to be on top whenever they had sex. It wasn't just because she wanted reassurance, the feeling that Corrin could support her, both physically and emotionally, but it was also fulfilling, in a way, the dream she had that night. Now, she would never admit that she basically had a wet dream about the leader of an army during a war, but she certainly entertained the concept more times than she cared to admit.

_BA-BUMP_

It was nice to be on the bottom sometimes, though. There was always something reassuring about the way Corrin curled his body into hers when he finished. Azura would follow shortly after, arching her back to push her softer chest into Corrin's more firm one. She would throw her head back, eyes rolling and mouth open in a silent keen before collapsing back onto their sheets, utterly spent and boneless, yet indescribably fulfilled.

Azura vividly remembered the first time she had been with Corrin. It was right after the marriage ceremony, when they consummated their marriage, when they made it complete in both blood and papers. She had...entertained herself before, admittedly, but that was nothing compared to how it felt when she eased herself onto him. It had hurt, of course, both during and after, but that was almost certainly due to her body not being "used" properly. She remembered the utter look of panic and relief on Corrin's face when a drop of blood dotted their bedsheets when they were done.

Corrin had panicked at the smell and sight of her blood and had almost called for a doctor before Azura embarrassingly explained that it was natural for all women to bleed a little during their "first time." At the time, it had been mortifying, but with the benefit of hindsight, Azura could often chuckle at how closed off each of them were back then.

_BA-BUMP_

Azura used to think that she knew every aspect of Corrin, from his mannerisms to his habits, from his likes to his dislikes, but even she was caught off-guard by the sheer  _weirdness_  of Corrin sometimes. She remembered her reaction when she casually slid a book into an empty slot on a bookshelf only for Corrin to snap at her, in a very irritated way, to put it in alphabetical order. Apparently, Corrin was quite the bookworm.

She also remembered being indescribably lost and confused when she revealed to Corrin her infatuation with chocolate brownies. Corrin had simply set his teacup down on the table and stared at Azura, slack-jawed, as she launched into a speech about how chocolate brownies were the food of the gods and were second to nothing except for maybe strawberries.

How could anyone disagree with her?

_BA-BUMP_

Yes, Azura could count herself lucky. Lucky to have survived the war, of course, but also lucky to have met Corrin. Few women would say with confidence that the man they married was also the same man that saved them, either from themselves or from their enemies.

Azura used to hate herself. She hated living at the expense of others, despite her half-siblings saying otherwise, but it was only when Corrin said it that she believed it. Without Corrin, she was worthless. A scapegoat. A living reminder of her kingdom's fall. But with Corrin...that was a bit...different.

_BA-BUMP_

When she first met Corrin, she felt vaguely interested in him. Annoyed and irritated at him at first, for both being a bit too social for her taste and for often interupting her singing, but as their war dragged on, what irritated her became endearing, and what was endearing simply became part of the whole that was  _Corrin._

His charm, his unending trust in her, his refusal to surrender despite the odds... _his heartbeat_...all of those things were Corrin's.

And she wouldn't have it any other way.

_BA-BUMP_

When she was certain Corrin had fallen asleep, Azura shifted again so that her head laid on Corrin's left pectoral, directly over his heart. Azura wanted to listen to the steady drone of his heart for as long as she could, but she had scarcely closed her eyes for more than a few beats before she felt herself drifting off to sleep as well.

By the time the blunette fell asleep, her heart was beating in tandem with Corrin's.

_BA-BUMP_


	13. A Much Needed Talk

Corrin and Azura were in their shared study together, preparing for the day's work, Corrin reading through a journal containing reports of today's events and Azura standing in front of a mirror, frowning and turning back and forth as she adjusted her clothes, when Flora and Felicia pushed open the door and walked in. From where he was sitting in his chair behind his desk, Corrin looked up from the book he was reading regarding the day's events.

"Lord Corrin," Flora said, smiling pleasantly towards him before looking at Azura. Instantly, her expression turned cold and the smile faded from her lips. "Lady Azura."

Felicia smiled apologetically towards Azura and Corrin as she bowed and greeted them. When Corrin raised an eyebrow at Felicia, all the salmon-haired woman could do was mouth back  _sorry for the attitude._

"The throne room is ready," Flora reported, clasping her hands together in front of her skirt.

"And so are the nobles," Felicia added, her chirpy, bobbing demeanor in stark contrast to her sister's cold professionalism.

Corrin nodded and closed his book, setting it aside on the edge of the table. "Alright, then," he sighed, standing up and adjusted his cape, though it was more out of habit rather than it actually being askew. "Guess  _somebody_  has to sit on that throne."

Azura rose to her feet soon after, hands slightly trembling as she adjusted the small crown on her head. After being coronated, both Corrin and Azura received a pair of crowns, one large and ornamental for formal occasions and one smaller and more suited for casual use. Corrin had adjusted to the smaller crown almost immediately while Azura was a bit…slower to warm up to it.

She hated wearing her crown. She hated how it mussed her hair and caused stray strands to randomly curl or stick out after taking it off after a long day. There was a reason why she wore her white head-dressing during the war. It wasn't just for modesty but to also keep her long aqua-blue hair in check.

But now that she was a queen…certain sacrifices must be made.

Flora smiled coldly. "Yes, well, better you than Lady Azura," she said, glancing at Azura. "No offense, milady."

"None taken," Azura said, a bit put-off by the fellow blue-haired woman's frostiness towards her. Flora had objected to suddenly being reassigned the position of serving as Azura's retainer instead of Corrin's maid, and though Azura quite frankly did not care about who was her retainer and who wasn't, Flora seemed to think the reassignment almost as an  _insult_  to her abilities.

Felicia had been a bit more cheerful of the change, seeing as how she used to serve Corrin as both a retainer  _and_  as a maid, which ironically meant the clumsy maid adjusted more quickly than the very image of professionalism that was her sister. Felicia warmed up quickly to Azura, and Azura returned the favor by even smiling politely once or twice at her chirpy behavior, but Flora, on the other hand…Flora was cold, distant, almost trying to see how far she could push Azura's temper before being reassigned without actually breaking protocol.

Felicia and Azura had discussed it only once before, in hushed whispers, but according to the pink-haired woman, Flora was  _definitely_  the type of person to hold a grudge, no matter how big or how small. Apparently, serving as a retainer was more demeaning than serving as a maid, despite the former paying much more.

The book on Corrin's desk fell to the ground with a loud  _thump_ , and everyone jumped at the sound.

"Sorry," Corrin apologized, smiling sheepishly as he got up out of his seat and reaching down to pick up the book. "Must've placed it wrong."

"Oh, no need to strain yourself, milord!" Flora said, instantly jumping to action. "I got it!"

"Flora!" Corrin said at the same time. "You don't need to—I got it!"

Despite his protests, Flora was instantly by Corrin's side, stooping down in his steed to retrieve the journal. While Flora bent down to pick up the journal, Felicia stepped towards Azura, eyes flashing to her head as a slight frown appeared on her face.

"Your crown's a little bit…skewed," she said, reaching towards her head. "Let me fix it for you."

Automatically, without thinking, Azura reached up to smack Felicia's hands out of her face.

"Don't touch me," she said flatly. "I can fix it myself."

Instantly, Azura regretted her harsh reaction. Surprise and a little bit of hurt flashed in Felicia's eyes before she nodded and backed away.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you don't like other people touching you," she said, trying for a smile. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Azura breathed. "Just…keep that in mind."

Flora, who had been the whole interaction with detached professionalism, suddenly shoved Corrin's journal into his arms. Corrin stumbled backwards from the force of the push and as he caught himself on the corner of his desk, Flora turned on her heels and marched out of the room, head raised, heels  _clacking_. All without a word.

Felicia and Azura watched Flora march out of the room. As soon as Flora was gone, Felicia turned towards Azura and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Sorry about my sister," she apologized. "I know you didn't mean to hurt me—and you didn't—but…she's rather…protective of me."

Azura's throat suddenly felt incredibly dry. She swallowed and blinked before replying, "I…I noticed."

Felicia darted forward to take Azura's hands in her own, and for once, Azura didn't try to automatically pull away. Squeezing her hands, Felicia said warmly, "I'll talk to her. That usually works."

"Usually," Azura repeated hollowly.

Felicia nodded and released Azura. "Don't worry, milady. She's…still adjusting. Give her a few weeks."

"A few weeks?" Corrin asked, raising an eyebrow. "Felicia, Flora's been acting this way towards Azura for  _months_  now! You know that I'm not exactly the impatient or unforgiving type, but this is starting to get ridiculous."

Felicia bowed, closing her eyes. "I know," she said meekly. "But you know how she is. If she feels someone insulted her, she's going to take it personally."

Corrin and sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine," he said finally. "Talk to her. Let her know that her behavior at this point is…is almost  _childish._ I know she probably feels me making you two into Azura's retainers is an insult to her abilities, but you have to tell her that it's not! In fact, it's practically the opposite! I—"

"Corrin," Azura interrupted, patting her husband's arm. "It's fine."

"It's not fine!" Corrin exclaimed. "She's treating you like the scum of the world here, but—"

"You're overreacting, Corrin," Azura said sharply. "I can take care of myself, alright?"

"Sure looks like it," Corrin said sarcastically.  _That_  gave Azura pause. Corrin had never talked to her like that before.

"Excuse me?" she said. "What did you just say?"

Corrin grimaced and bit his tongue. He hadn't meant for that to slip out, but he was just so… _angry_  about this whole thing! Nobody could treat Azura like that! Not Flora, not Anankos.

Not even himself

"Nothing," he said, turning away. "I didn't say anything."

Azura took her husband's hand and forced him to turn so she could look into his eyes. Corrin did so begrudgingly and the raw amount of disgust Azura saw in them shocked her. She knew he could be a bit overprotective of her sometimes, but how many people could consider themselves a threat to the one they were protecting.

When Corrin tried to turn away, Azura reached up to his face and forced him to look at her. "Look at me, Corrin," she ordered. "Look at me."

Together, the two held a silent conversation, each imperceptible movement of their eyes an argument, each blink an exaggerated arm gesture. Felicia watched in silent interest, fearful any words on her part would disrupt the couple's conversation.

Finally, Corrin sighed and looked away. "Fine," he said. "Just…don't dig yourself a deeper grave."

"I won't," Azura promised. "It's not my first time bringing two opposing parties together to a mutual agreement."

Corrin nodded before turning towards Felicia. "Well?" he asked. "Do you accept?"

Felicia looked confused. "Accept…what?" she asked. "What am I accepting?"

"Our proposal, of course," Azura answered. "Didn't you hear?"

"Uh, you didn't say anything out loud," Felicia answered. "You two were, like, I don't know, having a talk without actually talking?"

Azura and Corrin both blinked in surprise. "We were?" Azura asked.

And the same time, Corrin said, "I was?"

The three of the, looking at each other, Felicia in amusement, Azura in embarrassment, and Corrin in confusion. Finally, Azura shook her head and said, "No matter. I…had a proposal for you. For both you and Flora."

"Really?" Felicia asked. "What kind of proposal?"

I…I want to have lunch with you and Flora some day this week so we can settle our differences," Azura said, looking away and nervously playing with a strand of her hair. She never being this forward, even with Corrin's encouragement. "I…I feel talking this out will be more…effe—"

"I accept," Felicia said.

Azura blinked in surprise. "Y-you do? B-but I—"

"I can't speak for Flora, but I think having lunch with you is a great idea!" Felicia said, clapping her hands together. "If I may, Lady Azura, but I always really wanted to get to know you better! You're so pretty sometimes, and I've always wondered a lot of things about you and when Lord Corrin made me your retainer, I thought that would be the perfect opportunity to learn more about you!"

Azura pursed her lips as she stepped unconsciously behind Corrin. "O-oh, she stammered. "T-thanks. I…I want to know you better too."

Felicia smiled warmly as she bowed. "Don't worry, I'll make sure we both show up. That's a promise!"

"Oh. T-that's good."

Before she left the room, Felicia paused at the doorway and looked back at Azura and Corrin. "Don't worry," she said supportively. "I'll talk with Flora tonight, see if she's on board. We'll have the two of you like friends in no time!"

Azura pressed her lips even tighter together as she nodded. When the  _clack_  of Felicia's ears faded into nothing, she let go of Corrin and rubbed her forehead where a sudden headache just blossomed.

"What did we get ourselves into now?" she asked.

Corrin shrugged. "Hopefully a lunch between two blue-haired woman and a pink-haired woman with enough positivity and energy to put Elise to shame."

"Hopefully."

* * *

Later that night, when she was finally one organizing the mess that was Lord Corrin's study, Flora climbed into bed alongside Jakob. The butler had, in a rare moment of rest, let his hair down and was now reading a book on the "etiquette of parenthood" by candlelight.

Flora raised an eyebrow as she tapped the book with a finger. "What do you think you're reading? Not getting any ideas, I hope?"

Jakob raised an eyebrow at his wife's sharp tone. Normally, Flora was a lot more reserved, quiet, even gentle, but tonight, it almost sounded like she wanted to bash the book over someone's head.

And it was not a thin book either.

"Just…preparing for the future," Jakob coolly replied. "You never know if something goes wrong."

Flora frowned and crossed her arms as she leaned against the backboard of the bed. "Well, if you're trying to send me a signal tonight, don't bother. I'm really not feeling it."

That  _really_  got Jakob's attention. Flora normally never let anyone bother her, considering it a side effect of working as a maid for so long, but the simple fact of her admitting that she was bothered said more than not.

Marking the page he was on and setting it aside, Jakob turned in their bed to wrap an arm around Flora. She shifted to make it easier for him to lay his arm across her chest.

"What did Lady Azura do this time?" Jakob asked. "Don't tell me she told you off for not doing your job right or—gods forbid—that she simply didn't need your help."

"No," Flora admitted, pressing herself further into Jakob. "Nothing like that."

"Then what then?" Jakob asked. "If you're going to sulk all night, at least leave me out of it."

Flora drew her arms around herself. "Fine, then," she huffed. "You really want to know?"

"That would be preferable."

"She slapped Felicia!" Flora exclaimed, turning to face Jakob. "She  _slapped_  her, Jakob! Her crown was all askew and whatnot, but when Felicia tried to fix it, she slapped her!"

"Sounds like a shovelful of horse sod, if you ask me," Jakob said bluntly. "I don't particularly care for Lady Azura—and I mean that in the sense I consider serving her and polishing silverware to be both equally important—but I also know her well enough that she wouldn't slap anyone if they didn't deserve it. What did that bumbling oaf of your sister do?"

"I told you, she was fixing Azura's crown!" Flora said. "It was tilted! All she was trying to do was fix it for her and she had to go ahead and slap her!"

"I think you're being unreasonable," Jakob said bluntly. "Lady Azura is…rather unique. She prefers to keep yo herself, doesn't like other's company unless she permits it. That's how we get along so well."

"Well then, why don't you go ahead and marry her instead then?" Flora asked sarcastically. "I'm sure she'll give you a better job than a mere  _retainer_."

Jakob sat up and looked at his fiancé incredulously, a shocked expression on the butler's normally apathetic face. "Flora, are you sure you're quite alright? That…I won't lie, but that hurt my feelings."

Flora pursed her lips before drawing their blanket tighter around herself. "Good," she said.

Jakob facepalmed. "Are you still upset about being Lady Azura's retainer instead of Lord Corrin's maid?"

"Yes," Flora said, her voice muffled.

"Why?" Jakob asked, flabbergasted.

"…you wouldn't understand."

"I think I would," Jakob harrumphed. "You're acting like a child, Flora. Tell me what's wrong, and I—"

"You really want to know what's wrong?" Flora asked venomously, throwing her sheets off. "I was  _perfectly_  happy with serving Lord Corrin as a maid! Fuck, I'm willing to go a step further and say I was even  _good_  at it! And then  _Lady Azura_  had to stroll in and he decides to give me and Felicia away to her,  _as if we haven't experienced that before_! The least she could do is be a bit more open towards us, but instead, all she does is stay in her room and brush us off whenever we try to talk to her! She always looks like she's judging me, and I  _know_  I'm a better maid than a retainer, but—"

"Now you're  _really_  acting like a child," Jakob interrupted.

Flora froze mid-rant. "What?"

Jakob cleared his throat. "I said you're acting like a child," he repeated. "Do you think Lord Corrin made the decision to 'give you away,' as he put it, lightly? No! He was utterly lost and confused for  _months_  when he couldn't decide on who to pick as his retainer. Granted, the choice was pretty in hindsight: a butler pales in comparison to a ninja and a paladin, but the way you're acting makes you look like a spoiled brat than anything else! Did Corrin not ask you whether or not you were pleased to serve under him?"

"H-he did, but—"

"This is the reason why he asked!" Jakob said, waving his arms above his head. "He wanted to make sure you two were happy serving under him because he wanted you to be comfortable serving under his wife! Not because you were doing a bad job as a maid—that goes against at least fourteen different laws of physics, I think—but because he knew Lady Azura would need someone as skilled and talented you!"

"Then the least she could do is open up towards us and stop being so cold and distant," Flora retorted, turning away and crossing her arms.

Jakob took her by the shoulders and turned her back around. When she resisted, Jakob released her. "The reason why Lady Azura acts so off-putting towards you is because she's afraid that you two will be just as off-putting towards her! She would rather stay in the back rather than risk angering others, and quite frankly, I think that's a stupid tactic because obviously, you seem  _very_  angered right now! You seem to have a hard time differentiating between being a vengeful, arrogant bitch and a shy, socially awkward person. News flash: you're sort of acting like the first one."

"Thanks," Flora said sarcastically. "I thought you men were supposed to act as a shoulder for us to cry on, not calling us a bitch when we're emotionally compromised."

Jakob laughed humorlessly. "You're not emotionally compromised. If you were this bed would be an ice rink. Last time I checked, either ice is supposed to give you a concussion when you smash your head into it, or my head should be used as an icebreaker on the prow of a ship."

Despite herself, Flora found herself chucking at Jakob's trademark self-deprecating humor. "Stop it," she said, "I'm trying to be angry. Stop making me not angry."

"Quite frankly, I don't really care," Jakob said, shrugging. "All I see in your arguments are a whole bunch of flaws. You say Corrin gave you away without your permission. Technically, yes, that's true, but he also went out of his way to make sure you two would be comfortable with the idea before doing so. Second, you feel Lady Azura is being cold towards you. That's not true. That's just how she is, and you know how hard it can be to warm up to somebody you've never talked much with before. If you feel Corrin only moved you to the position of retainer because you thought he felt you were doing a poor job as a maid, then ask yourself this, why did your sister come in before you to tell me to tell you that Lady Azura wanted to have lunch with you tomorrow?"

Flora froze. "What?" she asked. "Who wants to do  _what?"_

"Lady Azura," Jakob said slowly, "wants to have lunch with both you and Felicia. Apparently, she feels bad about something. What it is, I don't care, but I feel it would be…beneficial for you to talk this out with Lady Azura instead of complaining and screaming at me when it's  _one in the morning._

Flora blushed as she glanced at the thin wooden door. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Jakob said. "You were a bit worked up, truth be told."

Flora simply pursed her lips but said nothing as she looked out the window, the moonlight making her pale skin practically glow in the dark. His expression softening, Jakob took her by the shoulders and steered her towards the bed.

"Come on, you," he said gently. "It's cold, even for me, and I doubt you'll behave as good as you are now when you wake up sleep-deprived."

Flora did not resist when Jakob pulled her to bed, but when he extinguished the candle and laid down beside her, his breath slowing, Flora turned and whispered, "Sorry about my…complaining."

In response, Jakob only chuckled. "Ah, I've heard worse. Try putting a pair of scissors next to Lord Corrin's ear and see how he reacts."

Flora's giggle was the last sound either of them heard that night.

* * *

The next morning, Azura was sitting alone at small, carved stone tables in the gardens. As it was her and Corrin's day off, she decided to dress a little bit more casually. Instead of the dresses she wore practically everyday, she opted to wear something a bit more "social," as Corrin put it.

Her clothing was simple, consisting of a simple white skirt with a black, form-fitting tunic and a small jacket with ruffled cuffs, but Azura found she rather liked the feeling. Seems like she liked the simple life. No wonder why Corrin wanted that cabin by the lake to serve as their private "Vvilla."

Azura tapped her foot nervously. Was she late? Did they already leave? Or did Flora and Felicia simply decide not to show up? She wouldn't be surprised if they did, Azura guessed. She  _did_  sort of slap Felicia's hands yesterday.

The signature clack of heels gave Azura's thoughts pause and she looked up to see Flora and Felicia walking towards her on one of the garden's many paths. Flora was dressed in her signature uniform, the black dress with white ruffles culminating in a heart shape on her sternum. Felicia, on the other hand, was a stark contrast to her sister's somber black and whites. The pink-haired woman was dressed in a white top with a red vest buttoned over it, her signature ice-blue gem lodged firmly on her chest. She wore a short pink skirt with a belt around her waist and had red stockings reaching up her legs. Her hair was down, which surprised Azura at it's deceptive length, reaching nearly to her hip.

As soon as Felicia saw Azura sitting at the table, she gestured excitedly to Flora before grabbing her hand and dragging her over to where Azura was sitting.

"Hi!" Felicia chirped, pressing the front of her skirt down to prevent it from blowing up. "Sorry we're late.  _Some_  of us," she glanced pointedly at Flora, "decided to take our sweet time getting dressed."

Flora simply pursed her lips and looked away but said nothing. Azura tried for a polite smile but all that came out was a spasmodic twitching of her lips.

"U-uh…t-tea?" Azura offered, holding up the teapot. "I-I boiled it myself this morning so neither of you would have to work!"

"Really?" Felicia asked. "Thanks."

She ribbed Flora gently in the ribs. "Flora, say thank you!"

"This is pointless," Flora responded, not looking at Azura. "I mean no disrespect, my queen, but surely, you must understand how strenuous the process of preparing a wedding might be."

"I…I do," Azura answered truthfully. "If you don't—"

"Nuh-uh!" Felicia said, jumping up to push her sister back down into her seat. "We all know you're lying. You and Jakob are too organized. You two practically planned and organized anything within a week! All you two have to do is wait until the date arrives!"

Having been caught, Flora sat back down and reluctantly accepted the teacup Azura pushed equally as gingerly towards her. An incredibly awkward silence followed, with Azura and Flora's eyes never leaving their reflection in the tea and Felicia looking between them in exasperation.

"Oh, come on!" she exclaimed once Azura set her empty teacup down. "There's got to be  _something_  you two want to talk about."

"Felicia's right," Azura said. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat before sitting up straight to look at Flora and Felicia. "Flora. Felicia. I've arranged this time so I could apologize to the two of you for how I've been treating you. I..I propose that we talk to each other not as retainer and queen, but as equals."

When Flora continued to stare at her teacup, Felicia gave her a swift kick underneath the table, causing the blue-haired woman to yelp. After shooting Felicia an ice-cold glare, Flora sullenly said, "And we've accepted your proposal for tea because…we also wish to apologize for our unprofessionalism. And we accept your other proposal"

Felicia sighed in relief. At least they got part one over with. Now, there's…just a lot more parts.

When another awkward silence followed, Felicia pinched Flora's leg, causing her to yelp again. Azura gave them a curious look.

"Can you stop?" Flora asked. "Stop kicking me!"

"Then talk!" Felicia whispered back. "I'm trying to keep a conversation going, so can you perhaps  _not_  shut up like a hermit clam?"

"She doesn't want to be here!" Flora hissed, glancing at Azura who was tactful enough to pretend she didn't hear. "And neither do I!"

"She only looks like that because she's not sure how to continue too!" Felicia retorted. "Now man up before I bring up how you once froze Father in a block of ice!"

_That_  caused Flora to freeze, and so reluctantly, she said, "Lady…Lady Azura?"

"Yes?"

Flora took a deep breath before continuing. "I've…I've decided to take a page out of Jakob's book. I will tell you, as bluntly as possible, why I dislike working for you and why I dislike you as a person."

Azura blinked, a little bit surprised at her candor. It seemed she really did take a page out of Jakob's book after all. "Uh, g-go ahead."

Flora set her teacup down and looked at Azura straight in the eyes. "I was against working as your retainer at first because Corrin reassigning us felt like how my sister and I were taken as hostages by Nohr when we were children. My sister had accepted the feeling long ago, but I was…still behind."

Azura blinked again, this time in surprise at how badly their reassignment must've reminded them of their childhood. "O-oh," she said. "I-I see."

"Is that it?" Flora asked. "'I see?'"

Azura pursed her lips. "Yes, well…I'm sure you know that I'm…not the greatest at talking with people. I-I've never been quite comfortable with talking to strangers."

"Well, that's why we're here!" Felicia chirped. "We're here so we can learn more about you and so you can learn more about us!"

"I thought we were here to settle our differences," Flora said sardonically.

"That too," Felicia said, "but stop letting me distract you! Continue!"

"Ah, yes. Of course," Azura said. "Um, in response to that…I…I apologize for how I can come off. At first. I-I know I can be…cold. And distant. And unsociable. And hard to talk to. B-but I promise, Flora, I'm not anything of those things to you because I dislike you o-or anything—I honestly think t-that you're a really k-kind and friendly person—but I want to know you better. E-even…call you…a…friend?"

The word sounded strange and foreign in Azura's mouth when used to describe someone other than Corrin.

Flora, on the other hand, looked surprised that Azura just spoke more than five words. "I-I see. I would also like to tell you that I felt embittered because I felt our reassignment was a comment on my old quality of work. I-I took that anger and frustration and used it as an excuse to treat you badly. I'm…I'm sorry."

Both Flora and Azura looked up when Felicia squealed excitedly. "Oh my gods!" she gasped. "I can't believe it! You guys apologized to each other!"

Azura couldn't help but smile at Felicia's infectious mirth. "W-well, that went a lot better than I thought," she said.

"I feel the same," Flora said, rolling an eye at her sister's enthusiasm.

A  _third_  silence fell between them, only this time, it was Azura who broke it by asking, "So…when is the wedding for you and Jakob?"

Flora set her tea down before answering frostily, "Oh, sometime next month. We haven't decided on an exact date, but we thought next month would be a good time."

Azura's eyebrows furrowed. "But…didn't Jakob propose to you a week ago?"

Flora nodded and took another sip. "He did," she confirmed. "We…we just organized and planned everything in a week."

Azura blinked in surprise. "Oh," she said simply. "I wish Corrin and I could've done that. It took us five months to get everything planned out, and that wasn't even including the paperwork Corrin had to deal with for the proposal."

"How did he propose?" Flora asked, genuinely interested.

"With a song, of all things," Azura admitted, chucking. "Are you familiar with Tatsuya Shigure? The Nestrian composer?"

"Sounds familiar," Felicia said thoughtfully. "Wasn't he the one who was the daughter of Nohrian duchess and some random Hoshidan ninja?"

"The very same," Azura nodded. "Anyways, Corrin managed to get his hands on one of Shigure's original works, for around fifty gold."

" _Fifty_?" Felicia asked incredulously. "I thought they went for millions!"

"That's almost exactly what I told him," Azura said, smiling. "Anyways, his proposal was a duet between the two of us; I sang, he played the piano."

"That's sweet," Felicia commented.

Azura blushed. "Yes, well, around the middle of the song, he gets up and starts singing with me! And then he proposed to me."

"Just like that?" Flora asked.

Azura nodded. "Final note, he got down on his knee and proposed, right then and there."

Flora and Felicia looked at each other. Felicia simply shrugged and said, "Well, that's Corrin for you. Always has to go and add his special touch to everything."

Flora giggled. "The Corrinthium virus," she said.

Azura looked at Flora and Felicia giggling to each other like schoolgirls in confusion. "Excuse me, the  _what_ virus?"

"The Corrinthium virus," Felicia laughed. Flore nodded alongside her. "Corrin always had to go and add a pinch of, well,  _Corrin_  to everything he did, and it was  _never_  subtle, so every time we saw something he touched, we said it had Corrinthium."

Azura smiled, the twin's mirth catching on. "Yes, well, that's my husband for you. How did Jakob propose?"

Flora had to stop herself from snorting when she said, "He didn't technically. He accidentally dropped the box somewhere when we were visiting my village and he thought I dropped something so he went to pick it up for me and—there it was! The ring!"

The two women laughed.

"Well, you know how I got proposed to," Felicia said, wiping away a tear when the laughter died down. "Big old crowd around us, and of course, Silas thought that was the perfect time to propose."

This time, Azura joined the other two women in their laughing. Maybe there was a chance after all.

* * *

"So, Flora," Azura asked, pouring herself  _another_  cup of tea. They've been talking for what felt like hours now, but Azura found no reason to leave, and neither did the two retainers, apparently.

"Yes?" Flora asked, pushing her teacup forward so Azura could fill it. She did so.

"Why are you wearing your old maid uniform?" Azura asked. "I'm not judging you for it, but I was curious as to why you wore that instead of the New Vallite ones."

Flora shrugged as she adjusted the bow with her red gem in the center of it. "I…it just suits me better," she said. "I suppose the new ones are a lot more practical, with their longer skirts and all, but I guess this old uniform still means something to me."

Felicia nodded as she scarfed down another muffin. "Oh yeah, that's what they don't tell you when you become a maid," she said. "You know how me and Flora always keep out hands clasped in front of our skirts?"

Azura shook her head. "I never noticed, but tell me."

"Well, it's always because of a  _really_  annoying and  _huge_  design flaw," Felicia said. "Out skirts have a sort of structure to them, which allows them to keep their shape, but that design applied to the front as well. Take a took at Flora's—" she gestured to Flora to stand up, "See how the black parts of the skirt cover more? There's no black part in front! I don't know why!"

"So that's why you always keep your hands down in front of your skirt," Azura mused. "It's more for personal privacy. I always thought it was some sort of protocol."

"It sort of was," Flora said, sitting back down. "Our apparel options were…limiting. In fact, the only piece of clothing we had any freedom in choosing was, well…this." She gestured to her breasts. "You know how these things work. Every woman is different."

"I wouldn't know," Azura shrugged. "I'm, what, in my mid-twenties and I'm  _still_  waiting for them to pop out."

All three women laughed. Felicia reached forward to take Azura's hand. "Don't worry," she said sympathetically. "Trust me, ours aren't anything like Lady Camilla's, but they still get in the way sometimes."

Azura giggled. "Sure doesn't look like it," she said.

"That's because we've had  _many_  years of practice," Flora said.

Felicia nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's true. And it's not just because we're maids! Mine popped out when I was…what, eleven? Twelve?"

"Does it matter?" Flora asked. "Yours grew earlier than mine!"

All three women burst into laughter again.

"Ah, boob jokes," Felicia sighed. "How I've missed you."

Setting her teacup down, Azura asked, "Wait, so does that mean both of your—"

"No," Felicia and Flora said at the same time.

"Don't let this whole 'twin' thing confuse you," Felicia said. "The only identical thing about us is out appearance, and apparently, breasts missed the memo."

Flora nodded. "It's…complicated," she said. "We stopped comparing a long time ago, but it should be pretty obvious we're not the same size."

"It's the uniform's fault, really," Felicia said. "With rare exceptions, they were all made with the concept of 'one size fits all,' in mind."

"But we usually just say yes to get creepy men off our backs," Flora added. "A lot easier that way."

"Oh," Azura said. Leaning forward, she said, "Wait, you said that all of your clothes save bras were picked out for you?"

Felicia nodded. "And even then, they had to be a certain color," she said, rolling her eyes as if to say  _can you believe it?_

Azura gestured vaguely downwards. "Then what about…"

Felicia nodded solemnly. " _Especially_  down there. Guess nobles in Nohr have a habit of…how do I say this, 'taking maids for a walk,' which meant they literally picked out our underwear for us."

"That's...disturbing," Azura said. "And horrible."

Flora nodded in agreement. "Yes, well, lucky for us that Corrin's not the type of person to sexually dominate us," she said. "Us twins can be considered… _exotic."_

Felicia nodded. "Oh yeah, one time, these women, they were maids just like us and they were also twins too! One day, they just straight-up vanished! Couple months later, guards found them  _literally stitched together_  in one of the noble's mansions!" She shuddered. "People always have the wrong idea about us twins."

"Do they now?" Azura asked. "What's one of them?"

Flora and Felicia shrugged at the same time. "People think we can communicate telepathically," Flora said.

"It's really annoying," Felicia added.

"—especially when people—"

"—tell us to—

"—say something to—"

"—each other and—"

"—tell us what they said—"

Azura closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "Ugh, please stop," she said. "That's both really creepy and really headache-inducing."

Flora and Felicia both looked at each other and giggled. "Now you know how it feels," Felicia said.

When Azura looked at the two women, she suddenly noticed the gem embedded in the bow on their chests. "Why do you two wear opposite colors?" she asked.

Felicia looked at Flora in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Azura gestured towards their bows. "Felicia, you're wearing a gem that's light-blue, Flora, you're wearing one that's red. Why is that?"

The two women looked down at the mentioned gems before suddenly laughing.

"Oh, that's a simple question," Flora said.

"It's an old prank we did to confuse our father—"

"—back before our hair color—"

"—started to develop—"

Azura laid her head down on the table. "Oh, please stop."

Suddenly, what Flora and Felicia just said came to her attention. "Wait, when your hairs colors 'developed?'" she asked. "You were born with different colored hair?"

Felicia nodded. "Yep!"

"Most people in our tribe have gray or black hair," Flora explained. "We were special, whether it was because our ice powers were greater than the rest or simply because—"

"—or simply because we were twins and blue and red combine to make gray," Felicia interrupted.

"They  _do not_  make gray!" Flora said, scowling. "They make purple!"

"You're no fun sometimes, you know that?" Felicia said, crossing her arms.

Flora took a moment to compose herself. "Sorry," she apologized. "My sister and I have this conversation a lot. She seems to think our unique hair color is because of a factually incorrect color wheel while I believe it simply means our powers are greater compared to the rest of the tribe."

"It certainly felt like it," Azura said, recalling how Camilla and Flora stood against them during the Invisible War.

Azura tapped the table with a finger thoughtfully. "Your hair was a lot longer than I expected," she said to Felicia.

Felicia ran a hand through her hair as she frowned. "Is it?"

Azura nodded. "You always put it into a ponytail or similar style, so I thought it would be a lot shorter."

"Well, it's a pain," Flora said. "She hasn't cut it since we were eighteen, and when we bunked together, she  _always_  asked me to brush it for her."

"Well, how long is  _yours_  then?" Felicia asked jeeringly.

In response, Flora reached up to one of her pigtails and unfastened it, letting her hair fall. Like Felicia's, it was a lot longer than Azura expected, but unlike Felicia's, it only reached down to her back instead of her hips.

" _That's_  how long it is," she jeered back.

"Wow," Azura deadpanned. "You two must have it rough, having so much hair."

Felicia and Flora both looked at Azura's hair and how she had to gather it and bundle it up like a spool of yarn in order for her to sit in a chair without also sitting on her hair.

"Oh. Sorry," Flora apologized. "We forgot that you had the worst case of bed head in the morning."

Azura sighed. "And here I was, hoping that nobody remembered that from the roster," she said.

"Don't worry!" Felicia said cheerfully. "It looks really pretty on you! How do you take care of it?"

Azura lifted a strand of hair and rubbed it with her finger. "Honestly? I don't know," she admitted. "I've been used to it being so long, washing it is just…second nature."

"Well, it looks really nice," Flora commented. "It's a bit like mine, but obviously a lot shorter."

"It also helps that I'm a Vallite," Azura added. "Vallites don't get a lot of oil or grease in their hair, so I suppose that alleviates some of the pain."

"Oh yeah, that's true," Felicia said. "My hair's pretty long and it takes  _forever_  to wash it when I'm bored."

"So that's why you ask me to do it for you," Flora deadpanned.

Felicia stuck her tongue out at Flora. "Well, unlike you, when you get oil in pink hair, it's a  _lot_  more noticeable."

Flora was about to respond when she felt someone touch her hair. Freezing, she looked down to see Azura gently running her hands through the strand of hair she let down in her previous demonstration.

"Wow," Azura marveled, "it's…soft. What do you use to wash it?"

Flora smiled. "Elder berries and wintershrub leaves conditioner," she said proudly. "It really helps in getting that ice-cold  _zing_ , if you know what I mean."

"I use mint!" Felicia said proudly.

Flora rolled her eyes. "For the last time, Felicia, you use mint- _scented_  conditioner, not  _mint_!"

"They both smell the same!"

Shaking her head, Flora asked Azura, "What do you use?"

Azura shook her head to break out of the trance Flora's hair had on her. It was rare to see another with blue hair such as hers. "Oh, I-I use a strawberry-scented conditioner," she said. "I get it from an old Vallite who specializes in making soap for the royal family. With us Vallites having such a close affinity with water, it's no surprise we have a very specific method for keeping the royal hair as blue as it is."

Flora leaned forward, interested. "Really?" she asked.

Azura nodded. "Apparently, it 'keeps the blue in' and the 'nonblue out,'" she said.

"Does it ever bother you how much it weighs?" Felicia asked. "I mean, I put my hair in a bun and swing my head around and I can feel my neck cracking!"

"Well, there's always a reason why I never put it up," Azura admitted. "I think my wedding was my first time in  _years_  where I didn't leave it down."

"Why don't you cut it, then?" Flora asked. "If it's such a bother, then just get rid of it."

"It's really not that annoying," Azura said. "Well, it is, sometimes, but most of the time, it's pretty obedient. Plus, in Vallite traditions, women only cut their hair when they lose the loved one closest to their heart."

Felicia nodded, understanding. "Well then," she said, "Let's hope you don't cut it anytime soon!"

All three women burst into laughter once again.

* * *

Corrin sighed in satisfaction as he leaned back in his chair, a stack of completed papers before him. As always, he hated doing paperwork, but true to Ryoma's and Xander's claims, the workload lessened immensely now that everything in New Valla was settled. It was as time consuming as ever, but now Corrin felt a faint sense of satisfaction whenever he signed his name on some random report or letter, knowing that each careful flourish of his quill meant bettering the life of someone in New Valla.

But that didn't make it any less tedious, however.

Plus, with Azura gone, it fell on him to finish her reports for the day, which he didn't mind. He just wished they hurried it up.

So when Azura pushed open the door leading into the study mere moments after Corrin leaned back, he was instantly sitting back up, alert. As soon as he realized it was Azura and not some random servant, however, he quickly relaxed, letting his shoulders sag, before jumping out of his seat to beeline towards Azura.

As soon as he reached her, he threw her arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. Azura, as usual, did nothing to resist her husband's affectionate advances and even let out a rare giggle as he kissed her gently on the forehead, his long white hair ticking her cheek.

"Hey there," Corrin breathed, his breath warm on her face. "How was your day?"

"Pretty good," Azura replied cheekily. "Took a walk through the gardens, had lunch with Flora and Felicia."

"Oh, really?" Corrin asked, raising his eyebrows. "How went it?"

Azura smiled. "A lot better than expected," she said truthfully.

Corrin's shoulders sagged in relief. "Oh, that's good," he said.

"They also told me to tell you something," Azura added.

"What?"

Azura stood up on her tiptoes and whispered something into his ear. Corrin frowned in confusion when she fell back to her heels. He looked at her, completely lost.

"They want to thank for…'not being sexually dominant?'" he asked.

Azura coyly looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. "I'll see you in bed," she said. "You better be 'dominant' tonight."


	14. A Hairy Situation

A dagger was pressed to the side of Corrin's head.

"Alright, you. Hold still."

Save for the flailing of his eyeballs and the rapid rise and fall of his chest, Corrin did as his imprisoner ordered. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as the tip of the dagger appeared in the corner of Corrin's vision.

"Hold on," the voice said. "This should only take a minute."

Corrin swallowed nervously as he felt something pull at his hair. When the flat edge of the dagger touched the tip of his ear, however, Corrin broke all restraints and leapt out of the chair, clutching his ear.

"Ow!" he shouted, bouncing up and down as if he had just stubbed his toe. "Be careful, Azura! That hurt!"

Azura, for of course it was her, rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Really, Corrin?" she asked, frustrated. "I  _barely_  touched you that time!"

"Nuh-uh!" Corrin replied. "You didn't just 'barely' touch me, you  _did_  touch me!"

"You were the one who was complaining about their hair getting in the way," Azura countered, hands on her lips as she leaned in towards Corrin, who pressed himself up against the wall. "If you're going to be complaining all week about your hair poking your eyes but not let me cut it, then you can do it yourself!"

"I can't, though!" Corrin whined, trying to pull off a puppy-eye look. "I can't feel the tips of my ears!"

"Then how come you felt the knife just now, huh?" Azura asked. When Corrin struggled to reply, she simply nodded and took him by the arm. " _Exactly._ Uh-huh, that's what I thought."

Corrin struggled to pry himself free as Azura dragged him back to the chair. On her way, the blunette grabbed a coil of rope "accidentally" left there by Silas.

Corrin clawed at the air as his bare feet slid back, inch by inch. He reached out desperately towards the closed wooden door, where he knew Silas and Lilith were standing guard. "No! No! Silas! Lilith! Help! Help me! He—urk!"

Azura forcefully shoved Corrin down into the chair. Before Corrin could reach up to clear his long hair out of his eyes, Azura had managed to tie him to the chair. Corrin innefectually rocked the chair back and forth as Azura finished tying the knot behind him.

"U-uh, Azura?" Corrin asked nervously. "What're you doing?"

"Finishing what I started," she replied simply. "Now hold still and I promise I won't touch your ears."

"W-wait, Azura! Let's talk about this! We can settle this matter like reasonable adu— _eek!"_

* * *

Outside the door, Lilith had to stifle a giggle by covering her mouth with her hands while Silas was bent over, cackling. When Silas managed to straighten back up, he sighed and wiped a tear away from his eye.

"Oh gods," he said breathlessly. "I don't think I've laughed that hard since I saw Felicia get stuck after jumping headfirst into that snowbank!"

Lilith nodded along mirthfully. "I…I hope my brother won't be…too angry for abandoning him to Azura," she said between breaths.

"I swear, that woman's a bloodwolf in sheep's clothing sometimes, honestly!" Silas wheezed. "I've never seen her that serious about anything!"

"You'd be surprised how much Corrin means to her, then," Lilith said, her laughter subsiding.

Lilith was able to regain her composure just in time as a patrolling pair of guards walked past. The two men nodded politely towards her but gave Silas a confused look as they walked past. All Lilith could do was shrug as if she were saying  _what can you do about it?_

Silas pressed a palm to his chest as he gasped for breath, leaning on the door for support. "Hey, Lily?"

Lilith frowned at his nonchalant use of her "nickname." "Do  _not_  call me Lily," she said, her cheer gone. "It's not 'Lil,' or 'Lily,' or even 'Lilth.' It's  _Lilith_. In fact, if you call me 'Lilth,' I will march up to my brother and order him to put you on latrine duty for a  _week_ , got it?"

Silas shrugged and waved a hand nonchalantly. "Yeah, yeah," he said, still somewhat breathless. "You hear as many threats as I have, they just sort of roll of. Don't worry, Lily, I won't call you Lilth. In public, that is."

Lilith felt blood rushing to her face as she reared on Silas and raised a finger, as if about to smack him. Laughing, Silas cowered back, raising his hands to protect himself.

"Listen up here, you," Lilith started. "Corrin will  _end_  you!"

Silas laughed as she jokingly swept her hand towards him. He dodged it easily, but he couldn't resist getting in another lick as Lilith retracted her hand to return to her waiting position.

"He's got to catch me first, Lily!"

"Oh, you—!"

* * *

Almost an hour later, Azura opened the door, looking thoroughly worn out. At Silas and Lilith's curios expressions, she jabbed a finger over her shoulder. "Job's done," she said tiredly. "I'm going to wash all this sweat and hair off myself."

"You do that," Silas said as Azura shambled past him, arms and feet dragging. He nodded towards Lilith. "Make sure you have that tome thing ready. We only have one shot at this."

Lilith nodded and pulled out the tome in question. According to Otis, this same kind of tome was used to create the incredibly life-like portrait of him and his late wife. When questioned on how he got it, however, the older man had unusually kept his lips sealed.

"It's a secret to everybody," he said.

At Silas' signal, the two of them crept into the converted office. Lilith looked back to see Silas quirking an eyebrow as he gestured to the floor. Countless strands of white hair littered the ground, forming a perfect trail of footsteps leading into the adjacent washroom. Inside, Silas and Lilith could hear someone muttering to themselves.

Silas gestured silently to Lilith's tome, and then to the door. Understanding, Lilith crept towards the door and quietly pushed it open. Standing in front of the mirror was Corrin, clutching at his head as he muttered something under his breath.

His long white hair, which once reached down to his shoulder blades, was now back to it's original length during the Invisible War. Instead of his hair reaching almost halfway down his back, the edges of his hair now barely reached the end of his neck.

Silas couldn't help himself. He let out a quiet snicker at the distraught expression on Corrin's face as he checked himself out in the mirror. Instantly, Corrin spun around and saw Lilith crouching on the ground, tome pointed towards him, and Silas snickering to himself behind her.

"Hey!" he shouted, his face turning red. "Get out!"

Quickly, Lilith cast the spell needed to activate the tome and a bright flash filled the room as the magic did its work. Corrin covered his eyes with his forearm as he reared back.

Silas and Lilith, being on the opposite side of where the light had originated from, were spared the worst of the blindness. As Corrin blinked the spots out of his eyes, Silas took Lilith's arm.

"We gotta go," he said urgently before taking off. Lilith looked back and forth between Silas disappearing around the corner and Corrin rubbing his eyes before taking the cowardly option and fled the room.

When Corrin's vision finally settled, he looked around in confusion. "Lilith? Silas? Where are you?"

When nobody responded, he cracked open the door and peaked outside the room. Instantly, he knew what happened. Based on how scattered the hair on the ground was, Lilith and Silas must've made a run for it.

"Ah, hell."

* * *

When Corrin pushed open the door leading into his room, Azura had already washed up and was dressed for bed. She was sitting cozily in the blanket, reading a book, when Corrin walked in. Upon his entrance, she smiled sheepishly at him.

"Hi," she said. "Nice haircut."

"Thanks," Corrin grumbled. "You were the one who gave it to me."

"Well, you were the one asking for one," she replied simply. "I never would've touched you if you didn't complain so much."

"I've always liked it long," Corrin offered as his defense.

When he pulled off his shirt in preparation to wash up before climbing into bed, Azura reached under the covers and slid something towards him. "Here," she said. "I just got a delivery from you sister."

"Lilith?" Corrin asked, picking up the object. It was a small, rectangular package, about the size of a thin book.

"What is it?" Corrin asked, shaking the package.

"I…wouldn't do that," Azura warned. "She told me to give it to you. Maybe you should try opening it."

Frowning slightly, Corrin tore the brown paper away. His frown only deepened as he held it up to the light to see.

"What is…oh my gods, I'm going to kill her and Silas."

Azura stifled a giggle by coughing. "What is it?" she asked innocently.

In response, Corrin simply turned the piece of paper around and showed it to Azura. "It's me," he deadpanned. "They snuck up on me and painted a portrait. Of me. In the washroom. Without hair."

Azura was too busy laughing at the dead look on Corrin's face as he set it on a nearby table. He sat on the edge of the bed next to a gasping Azura and put his face in his hands.

"All three of you are dead to me."

Azura just laughed even harder.


	15. A Vow Upheld

"But milord! Please reconsider our offer! By allowing—"

"Absolutely not," Corrin growled, slamming a fist down on the throne's stone arm for emphasis. The impact hurt, but Corrin knew he could not afford to show weakness in court.

Plus, he was too angry to pay attention to the pain.

"Let me repeat myself, Duke Pinciles," Corrin said slowly, making sure the round-faced man standing before him understood each and every one of his words. "This is  _New Valla_ , not Nohr! I don't care if King Xander himself was offering this suggestion to me, but I will not— _absolutely not_ —take on any concubines!"

"But sire!" another man shouted, a daimyo if Corrin's memory served him right. "Taking on a concubine will allow us to forge an even stronger relationship with Nohr and Hoshido! Surely—"

"'An even stronger relationship?'" Corrin repeated. "'An even stronger relationship?' Please, Daimyo Jun. I fought next to King Xander and King Ryoma  _themselves_  during the Invisible War. They  _trusted_  me enough to land the final blow on Anankos! What was that saying you quoted when you urged me to tax Nohrians more harshly than Hoshidans? 'Only those who suffer next to those with equal suffering form true bonds?' If that is the case, then I daresay King Ryoma, King Xander, and I have gone through  _more_  enough suffering together. You need not fear an incursion from either of their respective countries."

"But it's practically tradition!" another Nohrian duke shouts out. "King Sumeragi had a concubine, and King Garon was  _known_ —"

Corrin had to bite his tongue to avoid bathing that duke in a scathing retort for referring to his mother as a mere concubine but now was not the time. He had a court to control.

"I think we all know how what happened if you take on concubines," Corrin said, waving a hand. "Garon's policy on concubines brought about nothing except the deaths of children.  _Children_ , let me remind you. Dozens of children were killed, some mere moments after being birthed! Do you really wish to see New Valla fall under such a wretched and depraved fate?"

The silence was booming.

Finally, one countess managed to call out, "But you are nothing like Garon! Unlike him, we're sure you can control your appetite—"

Corrin facepalmed and gestured irritably towards the woman. "Did I not make myself clear?" he asked scathingly. " _What did I just say?_  I will  _not_  have concubines. I don't need nor do I want other women. My heart belongs to Azura alone, and  _nothing_  you do will change that."

To make sure that all the nobles knew that his decision was final, Corrin stood, turned around, flourishing his cape in the process, and stomped out of the throne room, followed closely by Kaze and Silas, the latter of whom gave the crowd of shocked nobles a disgusted look.

Corrin did not stop until he reached his study whereupon he tossed his crown casually onto a nearby cushion and sank into his leather armchair. "Politics," he said, using the word like a curse. "How tiresome."

"Tell me about it," Silas agreed, nodding his head and leaning against the wall. "It's like trying to herd cats. You want them to go one way, and they'll bite you in the ass when you turn to catch another. What about you, Kaze?"

The green-haired ninja simply rubbed his chin thoughtfully and looked out the window. "A rather astute analogy, Silas," he said simply. "I will admit, though, I never did quite grasp the concept of concubines. It is in my personal opinion that each and every single man and woman was created for another of the opposite gender, much like a puzzle where the man is the piece and the woman is the hole. You can only insert a specific piece into a specific hole."

Silas snickered. "Nice."

Corrin sighed and drew a long face. "And we have to deal them again  _tomorrow_ ," he groaned. "End me,  _please_."

"Eh, look on the bright side," Silas said, slapping Corrin good-naturedly on the shoulder. "Think of it this way, surely, Azura's going to be happy about this, right?"

"Happy about what?" a fourth voice asked.

Kaze instantly snapped to attention as Silas lazily looked over his shoulders. Corrin, too tired to care, simply sagged lower in his seat until he was at the proper angle to see who entered the room.

"Ah, Lady Azura," Kaze greeted, bowing low to the ground. "What a pleasure it is for you to join us!"

"Hey," Silas said casually. "You need anything?"

Azura smiled. Despite the fact that Kaze and Silas were practically polar opposites of each other, they still managed to work together marvelously. Kaze was the consummate professional, efficient and hardworking to a fault. Silas, on the other hand, was everything a retainer shouldn't be. He acted casual, talked casual, and had a rather crass sense of humor, though both Corrin and Azura found his jokes to be mildly humorous on at least one occasion.

"Nothing, really," Azura admitted. "I just finished my paperwork for the day and I thought I would check on Corrin."

She looked at how exhausted the three men were. Corrin was practically falling asleep in his chair, Silas could barely keep his eyes open, and even Kaze's shoulder sagged a bit lower than usual.

"What happened?" she asked. "You all look tired."

"We just finished meeting with a rather stubborn lot of nobles," Kaze explained. "They urged for Lord Corrin to take on concubines, but to your husband's eternal credit, refused."

 _That_  caught Azura's attention. "Did he now?" she asked. Looking around, she asked, "Would…you two leave the room? You're relieved for today. I need to talk with my husband."

"Yes, of course," Kaze said before dutifully strolling out of the room. Silas winked cheekily at her before grabbing his sheathed sword from against the wall and following after Kaze.

"Don't mess stuff up too badly," he said. "I know for a fact Felicia hates cleaning up anything… _organic_."

"Very funny, Silas," Azura said as soon as he was out of earshot. "Just what I wanted to hear."

Corrin was so exhausted that Azura had to snap her fingers in front of his nose to wake him whereupon he almost jumped out of the chair and headbutted her in the forehead. Luckily, Azura managed to jerk her head back just in time.

As soon as he realized it was Azura standing over him and not Silas with a quill, Corrin visibly relaxed and reached out for her. Azura, instantly understanding Corrin's wishes, settled herself on his lap and snuggled up to him.

"I heard about today," she said casually. "About how you refused to take on a concubine because of me."

Corrin shrugged tiredly. "Hey, you're all I need. You're perfect. Honestly, sharing a bed with other women at this point is more of an insult to you and your beauty than it is a reflection of my own character."

Azura giggled. Corrin always got this philosophical when he was tired.

She leaned down and pecked him on the cheek. "Well then," she said. "I suppose I should thank you."

"You're…welcome…"

Later, Azura had to recruit Jakob and Felicia in helping her drag Corrin up their room. Gods know how she would've done it otherwise.


	16. The Trident Lily

Normally, during the weekends, Azura always had a set schedule for her days off. Most of the time, she would wake up, cuddle with Corrin as long as she could without feeling guilty for lazing about, eat some breakfast with him, catch up on any late work, and then she would either lock herself away somewhere to sing or find a nice secluded corner in the castle archives, find a good book, and curl up on a nice leather armchair, with Corrin accompanying her if this was the case. Afterward, she would join Corrin in supper, bathe, and depending on her mood, either cuddle affectionately with Corrin under the blankets or "get down to business" with them.

 _Normally_ , this was her schedule, but when Azura sat down in her usual leather armchair one day, Corrin abruptly burst into the library and promptly dragged her out by the arm.  _Normally_ , Azura would've been against the idea of people just bursting into her private time and dragging her away, but the boyish smile on Corrin's face gave her pause when she saw a horse waiting for them in the courtyard.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked when Corrin slid into the saddle behind her.

In response, Corrin simply grinned and pecked her on the cheek before snapping the reins. "You'll see," he said mischievously.

No less than fifteen minutes later, Corrin had their horse break out into a light canter. Azura twisted around in her saddle to look at the walls of Castle Gyges disappearing into the distance behind some hills. When Corrin saw the momentary look of concern on Azura's face, he smiled easily and kissed her on the cheek again.

"Hey, relax," he said, letting go of the rein with one hand to stroke her cheek. "I'm not going to kidnap you."

"Well, technically, you are," Azura quipped. "After all, you did just sort of scoop me up while I was trying to read in the library."

Corrin shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Semantics," he said loftily. "Potato, potato. Data, data. Point is, you'll like what I'm about to show you."

"And what, exactly, are you going to show me?" Azura asked, raising an eyebrow.

Corrin smirked. "It's a surprise," he said, and no matter how Azura prodded him, he refused to elaborate any further on the matter.

After tiring of being met with vague responses and shoulder shrugs in response to her questions, Azura sighed and crossed her arms, pushing herself into Corrin to further enjoy his presence. As if in response to that, Corrin shifted in the saddle so that his hands were closer together when holding the reins, allowing him to hold her more tightly with his arms.

They rode for what felt like hours, though Azura knew it had scarcely been more than few minutes considering they could still see some buildings sprawled across the countryside, farmers and fishermen who either could not afford to live in the city or wished to live closer to their occupations. After fifteen more minutes of riding, the horse finally slowed to a halt on top of a grassy hill.

As Azura was wearing a dress, Corrin was able to dismount first. He offered a hand towards Azura and she gratefully took it as he helped her down the horse. As soon as Azura's feet settle on the ground, Corrin stooped down and undid his shoes.

"Finally," he said, sighing in relief as he tied them together by the laces and draped them over the horn of the saddle. "Lilith wouldn't stop giving me crap about me going barefoot in the castle."

"I wonder why," Azura said sarcastically, thinking back to just how easy it was for dust to gather in even the most well-used areas.

Corrin heard the sarcasm in her voice and pouted. "Hey, it's not my fault my feet are sensitive!" he said. He wriggled his toes in the cool grass. "They like to breathe!"

Azura rolled her and crossed her arms, slightly shivering as a rather cold breeze blew past them, rustling the grass and slightly lifting her flounce.

"Can we get on with it?" she asked, not bothering to hide her discomfort. "The sun's going down and I'd  _really_  like it if we didn't have to ride back to the castle in the dark."

Corrin couldn't resist himself from pouting even harder. "Aw, what's wrong?" he asked. "Is little 'Zuzu getting cold?"

Azura narrowed her eyes at him in mock anger before abruptly turning on her heels. "Alright, that's it. I'm going back. You can walk home."

A look of alarm appeared on Corrin's face when Azura managed to get a foot into the saddle's stirrup, despite her dress. "W-wait!" he called out, reaching out towards her. "I'm sorry! Wait! Azura!"

Azura paused as Corrin grabbed her hand.

"I'm sorry, Azura!" he said, eyes wide. "I promise I won't call you 'Zuzu again! Just…come with me? Please?"

Azura dramatically sighed and tapped her cheek in mock thought. "I'll…consider it."

* * *

Azura was glad she followed Corrin.

After a short walk up the hill and across a stream, Corrin pulled her aside and showed her…the most  _beautiful_  flower she had ever seen.

If Nohr could be represented by the thorned blackrose and Hoshido by the colorful sakura petals, then New Valla would undoubtedly by represented by the flower before Azura. Thirty-nine petals surrounded the flower's core, each petal dabbled in shades of white, azure blue, and what looked like a light seafoam green.

Not caring about her dress, Azura sank to her knees and gently touched the flower, marveling at its beauty. Behind her, Corrin couldn't help but smile at his wife's reaction. He had been hoping for such a reaction, but there is always a difference between imagining something in one's mind and actually seeing it play out before them.

"It's beautiful," Azura whispered. She looked up at Corrin. "Did you…"

Corrin nodded, smiling. "Yeah," he said. "You  _know_  I know that you love anything that has anything resembling your hair color."

Azura blushed and looked back at the flower, letting her hair fall to obscure her face. "I-it's not a vanity thing, I swear!" she said. "It's just…"

Corrin sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Azura gladly snuggled in next to him, grateful for his sudden warmth. Though it was still light out, the sun was beginning to touch the sea's horizon, casting a warm orange glow over everything.

"I know," Corrin said simply. "It reminds you of the past, doesn't it? Of your mother and father?"

Azura nodded. "It's still so hard for me to believe that Anankos is dead," she said. "It felt like…it felt like all those things—the war, that whole thing between Nohr and Hoshido—they all felt like they happened so long ago, like—"

"—like they happened to someone else," Corrin finished. He looked out toward the horizon, his hair rustling in the wind. "Yeah, I know what you're talking about. I feel it too, sometimes."

"Really?" Azura asked.

Corrin nodded and squeezed Azura's shoulder. "Sometimes, I think back…back to when I talked with my father, after killing his evil half. He…said something once, about he had the ability to see into the future. He said that…he saw three visions, one where I chose to side with Nohr instead of with you, one with Hoshido instead, and…one where we failed to kill Anankos."

"Did he say what happened?" Azura asked.

"No," Corrin said, shaking his head. "He just said that Anankos would've resurrected our dead bodies and use them as a vanguard or something against the rest of the world, but he never actually went in-depth about it. It seemed like…he knew how they were going to happen, but he wasn't when or  _why_  they would happen."

Azura wrapped Corrin's cape around herself for warmth. The sun was now dipping below the horizon and the air around them was growing noticeably colder.

"You know, Mikoto used to be the same. She mentioned it once, in passing, but it was always pretty obvious that she could see at least a little bit into the future. The way she predicted how some things could happen mere moments before they actually did. When asked, she always did this little shrug and had this sort of sad smile. Little things like that. Once, I heard her mention to Yukimura that she foresaw her own death."

Azura felt Corrin go rigid underneath her. "She did?" he asked.

Azura pursed her lips. "Listen, if you don't want to talk about it—"

"I do," Corrin said earnestly. "There's still so much about my mother that I don't know. I knew my father well enough to understand why he did things the way he did, but my mother…I barely know anything about her."

Azura sighed and squeezed Corrin's hand. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm afraid I can't help you here then. Back in Hoshido, I rarely went outside to talk with people. Even your siblings had to find me if they wanted to talk to me, and Mikoto was the same way."

"I know," Corrin sighed. "She said as much. When she was showing me around the palace, I remember her showing me to my room. There was another room next to mine and when I asked her about it, all she said was that 'another guest was staying here with me.' At the time, I never saw them, but now that I look back upon it…that was your room, wasn't it?"

Azura blushed. "If you're talking about the room next to a painting of King Sumeragi, then yes, that was my room."

Corrin blinked in surprise. "Whoa, really?" he asked. "But I never saw you before the lake!"

Azura smiled shyly. "Consider it my curse," she said, sighing. "Despite being the only person in the entirety of Hoshido with blue hair, not to mention having said hair reaching down to my knees, nobody ever seemed to notice me. In fact, they only ever noticed me when I was singing, and even then, they usually told me to shut up or go somewhere else."

Corrin actually growled, a low rising sound that caused the hair on Azura's neck to stand up in a primal way.

"I don't think I can ever forgive people for how they've treated you," he said, scowling. "You've been through so much, yet people never seem to understand your pain."

"It's alright," Azura said, reaching up to touch his face. "I'm used to it by now, plus, there  _are_  certain benefits that come with marrying a legendary war hero, after all.

Corrin shifted uncomfortably. "I don't like being called that."

Azura withdrew her hand and looked at him, confused. "Being called what?" she asked. "A war hero?"

Corrin nodded and picked at his nails uneasily. "Maybe it's just me being humble, but I feel like I'm anything  _but_  a war hero. A war hero fights for honor and glory, and when he comes back, he brings back riches and all those sorts of stuff you read in stories. Me? I just fought for my friends. When we came back, we didn't bring any glory or riches. We came back without almost ten thousand men dead and dying. That's no treasure."

"Are you still troubled by that?" Azura asked, frowning. "I thought you already accepted that reality."

"I did," Corrin said. "But just because I accept it doesn't mean it's easy to live with. When we finished off Anankos, I…didn't know what to do anymore. I mean, yeah, I knew I had to become king and all that, but I wasn't sure what to do with the part of me that enjoyed fighting and all that."

"Isn't that good, though?" Azura asked. "There should always be a difference between killing because you have to and killing because you enjoy it."

"I  _don't_  enjoy it," Corrin said. "And that's not the point here, Azura. Point is…I don't think I can fight anymore."

"What?"

Azura pushed herself away from Corrin and looked at him, perplexed. "What do you mean you can't fight anymore?"

"I-I don't know," he said, shrugging ruefully. "It doesn't feel the same anymore, does that make sense? It's like…it suddenly distastes me." He looked at Azura in the eyes. "Is that bad? Would that make me a bad king if I'm unable to wield a sword again?"

In response, Azura took one of Corrin's hands and brought it to her face. Her eyes slid shut as Corrin cupped her cheek. "No, never," she said earnestly. "You could never make a bad king, and it's never bad to hate fighting."

Azura lowered Corrin's hand and looked out towards the horizon. A sheet of white cast itself over the ocean blue as the sun continued to dip further into the water.

"Thank you for bringing me out here today," she said, continuing to stare out at the ocean. "I really enjoyed it."

Corrin stared at her, unsure of how to reply before finally electing to simply smile, nod, and say, "It was my pleasure."

In an even quieter voice, he added, "Azura?"

"Hmm?"

"…I love you."

Azura turned and stared at him for a moment before suddenly tackling him to the ground, her hair flying all over the place. Corrin's eyes widened a split second before she made contact, and with a muffled  _whump,_  the two of them fell onto their backs and rolled down the hill.

Their horse jumped when its two riders crashed into its water trough, causing the water to ripple, but when the animal saw its master lying together on the ground, laughing breathlessly, the horse shook its mane and continued drinking.

Humans really were such complicated creatures.


	17. Interlude: The Agent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I would like to apologize for the rather lengthy pause between updates. I've been busy with "schoolwork" (retro games), college stuff (sleeping 14+ hours), and every author's favorite friend, writer's block. The horror. I've been running out of steam for this whole work, which is a damn shame considering the fifth arc is going to be one of the most convoluted and narrative-driven works out there, excluding the Harry Potter fandom, and with me having less and less time to work, I'm afraid updates are going to be even more sporadic. But worry not! I will see this through to the end. This is our fight, and I will see it finished.

Long ago, when Iago was first realizing his plans for his supplicants and thralls, the very first thing he decided on was staying as far away from Castle Krackenburg as possible. Not only did the concept of  _Nohr_  and  _nobility_  together give him an ulcer, but he found himself feeling rather edgy about setting foot within Castle Krackenburg again. After living in the great castle for the better part of his life, seeing it again was like finding one's long-lost stuffed animal and finding that the stuffing had been replaced with maggots, worms, and gods knows what else. In either case—not pretty.

The other, more practical reason was that Castle Krackenburg was home to some of the land's most accomplished and skilled spellcasters, but it was also home to Prince Leonardo Aurelius, the most accomplished and skilled spellcaster out of all of them.

Iago had a rather high opinion of himself when it came to spellcasting. Back in his old body, he could have thrashed each and every single spellcaster with impunity…but not Leo. Never with Leo. He could never beat Leo.

Rare was a spellcaster as gifted as Leo, and even rarer was a spellcaster that Iago felt nervous about dueling, but as he learned the first time he died, any confrontation with Leo or his servants would mean certain failure for Iago and his mission.

Which was why Iago found himself sitting in a carriage rolling across the massive stone bridge connecting Castle Krackenburg to the rest of the world.

"Ma'am, the castle is almost upon us!" a soldier called from outside.

"I can see that," Iago said drolly, though he knew it was impossible for the soldier to hear him.

Ever since he discovered how to create supplicants, Iago had always encountered the problem of creating enough protection for them. After all, only a fool would pour almost all his power into a squishy, disposable human body and  _not_  leave them unprotected.

Iago already had about half a dozen or so supplicants and even fewer thralls. All the other corpses gained either during his initial attack on Eliwen Manor or "warding off" nosy patrols and hunters had either been completely incinerated (a rather unfortunate consequence of a failed binding) or driven insane, seeking only to eat human flesh.

Even though supplicants were essentially human corpses filled with magic instead of blood and completely loyal to their master and creator, Iago could see the exasperation in their dead eyes whenever he called upon them to put down failed experiments. Yes, he knew it was risky sending his own catalysts to do clean-up duty with a bunch of ravenous corpses, but better he sacrifice a part of his power than all.

And besides, according to the failed experiments, supplicant flesh just didn't have the same texture as living flesh, to which Iago physically shuddered before incinerating him with a bolt of fire.

Sighing and uncrossing his legs from where he had been sitting, meditating, Iago carefully moved across the carriage cabin so he could open a window. He didn't normally meditate, seeing it as a bunch of Hoshidan nonsense, but it certainly distracted him from feeling nervous during the most crucial part of Anankos' task.

"Remember what your orders," Iago called. "Say no more than what's needed, never refer to me as 'Sir' or 'Iago,' and never, I mean  _never_  let them see your eyes. You know why. My magic runs through your veins, and even a novice would be able to see that you're under my control. I don't care if wearing a helmet is comfortable or not. The  _instant_  I see you lifting that visor, you're going to be nothing more than a pile of bones when we're finished here,  _then_  I'll feed you to the prisoners!"

"Yes, milady," the men droned. "By your will."

Satisfied, Iago closed the window and sat back down, arms crossed. He had no doubt his commands would be carried out to the letter. That was the advantage of using thralls and supplicants. They would complete their orders even if they were missing a limb. The only problem was that if any part of Iago's orders contradicted each other, or if he didn't give them instructions to begin with, they would stand around like a bunch of slack-jawed fools until he said otherwise.

The other problem was that supplicants could not use magic on their own. Technically, in a way, they could. Iago could simply "superpower" the magic inside their veins and that would allow them to cast spells. The only drawback was that since supplicants had no mind or will of their own unless Iago created them that way, they would literally have no idea what to cast unless Iago told them specifically what to cast. In this case, that wouldn't even work since the magically-powered blood would only last a few hours, max, before burning out like a dying star, whereupon the magical, totally obedient supplicant would turn into your everyday normal, totally obedient, vulnerable supplicant.

Which was why Iago had to be here personally. Thankfully, he only needed to cast one spell on one specific person and then they'd be home free. Iago would practically have half the Nohrian court in his grasp, identical to their personality before being turned into his thralls, only with an infinite amount of loyalty towards him.

Iago lurched forward as he felt the carriage grind to a halt. Outside, he could hear soldiers shouting and giving orders as shadows played out across the window blinds. He could hear the guards questioning his men, and to their credit, they seemed to be fending off their questions with relative ease. Iago forced himself to remain calm when a figure knocked loudly on the window.

"Anybody in there?" the figure asked. "Show yourself!"

Iago took a moment to compose himself by taking a deep breath before opening the carriage window.

"Hello there," Iago said in a false falsetto, which wasn't all that hard considering the fact that he was in a woman's body. "Is anything wrong?"

The guard ignored his question and peered around inside the carriage. As he did so, Iago took the opportunity to check for any bare patches of skin. Most of his upper body and arms were covered by steel plates, but there was a tiny gap on his neck where the neck of the armor and his helmet didn't cover.

Apparently satisfied, the guard stepped back and crossed his arms. "Routine check, milady. I'm afraid King Xander's put into a place a new policy regarding visitors. He won't be seeing anybody until tomorrow morning."

"Oh really?" Iago asked.

The guard nodded. "If you want to see him, you'll have to come back tomorrow, but you'll want to be quick. Lines form real quick."

"Is there…any other way I could reach him?" Iago asked, subtly pulling on his dress, lowering the neckline to reveal some cleavage. Thankfully, they were on the other side of the carriage, where the gatekeep's post could not see them.

Iago always felt uncomfortable using Tamora's body to worm his way past people. Maybe it was because he never tried to do so in his old body, and lanky and languid as it looked, or maybe it was just a male thing, but Iago found Tamora's body to be a valuable asset when it came to "working things out," albeit an immensely uncomfortable one for Iago.

"Not unless you're planning on teleporting in there," the guard said jokingly. "There's only one way into the castle and one way out. Unless, well, of course, you're counting windows, but in that case, it'll only be an exit, if you know what I'm saying."

"What about…now?" Iago reached up to the collar of his bodice, unbuttoned it, and arced his back so he was thrusting his chest out towards the guard.

The moment the guard spent a moment looking down at Iago's breasts, Iago knew instantly that he had succeeded I "persuading" him. Tamora's body was rather…feminine-looking, something the guard evidently took note of, judging by the stunned silence.

"I, er—um."

Iago cheekily unbuttoned another button. "Are you  _sure_  there's no way in?" he asked seductively.

The guard finally tore his gaze away from Iago and thumped himself on the leg. "Dammit!" he swore, stamping his leg. Turning back to Iago, he said, "If you really need to see King Xander, I suppose we could have you meet with Prince Leo instead. I'm sure you nobles know he's a bit colder than the king, but that's the way it's going to be if you want to see him." He paused for a moment to rub the back of his neck, flustered.

Iago chose that moment to act.

"I don't think so," he said, reaching out with a slender hand.

Before the guard could react, Iago shoved his hand towards his neck, aiming for the gap on his neck between his helmet and his armor. The instant, his fingers touched the guard's skin, Iago frantically drew a Mark of Binding.

"I am Lady Tamora From this moment onward, thou soul, body, and mind shall belong to me," Iago recited, going as fast as he could without stumbling over his own words. "You shall act as my thrall, my servant, and you will be loyal to no one other than me. With these binding words, I command you to seek out others above you suitable for becoming my thralls, bind them to my will with the very spell I used to bind you and command them to bind the others above them. You now belong to me."

As soon as the incantation was finished, the guard crumpled to his knees, his armor crashing loudly to the ground. In an instant, the conversations and questioning around the carriage stopped as the other guards came running to his side.

Iago hastily made a show of unbuttoning his bodice as one of the guards knelt down and expertly checked the unconscious guard's pulse.

"Unconscious, sir," he reported to the captain, a gray-haired, severe-looking man with a hooked nose. "Looks like he just fainted."

The captain glared down at the fallen guard before turning his gaze on Iago. "Explain yerself, lassy," he growled. "'s not every day one of ma men drops to his knees like a dead horse. What happened 'ere? 'nd don't even try lyin' Y'see that man kneelin' over there? In the red?" He jabbed a finger at the guard checking the unconscious guard's body. "His name's Magnus. Nohr's best spellbreaker this side o' th' land. He'll find any lies y'tell or lies y'weave."

 _Evidently not_ , Iago thought to himself.  _If he really was a spellbreaker, he would've discovered I cast a binding rune on him. And yet, here I am._

"I-it was just an accident, sir, I promise!" Iago said, struggling to pinch close the last button. It was always  _that_  button that gave him problems, and in his nervousness, the shaking was genuine.

"I just wanted to seek an audience with King Xander, but then he said he couldn't let me in, so I tried to…convince him!"

"'Convince 'im?'" the captain asked gruffly. "Explain yerself."

In response, Iago unbuttoned the top button of his bodice again and thrust his chest out towards the captain. To his the credit, the captain managed to tear his gaze away from them before clearing his throat and crossing his arms.

At the same time, the unconscious guard suddenly gasped and bolted upright, gasping for breath. The disgruntled look on the captain's face vanished as he knelt down and rested an arm on the guard's arm. When the guard tore his helmet off to reveal sandy-red hair, Iago couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as he realized the guard was barely of age, almost eighteen.

"How ya feelin, lad?" the captain asked. "Yer feelin' okay?"

The guard simply nodded, still too breathless to answer. Apparently satisfied, the captain rose from his haunches and ran a critical eye of Iago again, who managed to loosen another two buttons in the time that he had.

"Yer a very lucky lady," the captain said gruffly. "Ye wanna know why?"

Iago swallowed nervously. "Why?"

"Yer lucky my boy's okay and that you got a massive rack. Listen here, lassy, if yer here to apply for being one of King Xander's concubines, take ma advice: don't. He's outlawed it as soon as he was crowned, 'nd lemme tell you, that life's hard. So I'mma go easy on you jus this once. You turn this lil' carriage around, never come back, and I'll promise you that I won't mention this whole thin' to Prince Leo or King Xander, you understand?"

Iago nodded. "Yes, sir."

The captain nodded once, a swift, jerk of his head before he made a shooing motion with his hand. "Git on, then."

Iago's carriage driver did as he ordered, and as they rode away from the Castle, down the bridge, past the walls, and on the roads leading back to Eliwen Manir, Iago couldn't help but grin giddily, though his mirth was tempered by apprehensiveness. If any part of the spell had failed, then he could very well be on the run by the end of this week.

This fear never came to pass, however, when two days later, in the dead of light, Iago suddenly jerked and spasmed before settling back into his normal sleep as he felt…something new in his mind. Several new somethings, as it happened.

As Iago mentally reached out towards these new minds attached to his, a wide smile crept its way across his lips.

The agent had succeeded.

Anankos' revenge was at hand.


	18. I'll Have What You're Having

Azura stifled a yawn behind her hand. Normally, Azura would be in her study, doing the paperwork that Corrin so-often complained about, but every so often, there would be that  _one_  overly-pompous noble who thought it necessary to have not just the King of Valla listen to his request, but also the shy, reclusive, quiet Queen of Valla as well.

As of the moment, Azura was slouched in her throne next to Corrin's marble-cut own, one hand resting on her cheek while the other played with a strand of hair distractedly. Below her, at the base of the dais where her and Corrin's throne were set up, a gray-bearded noble was spinning a rather lengthy and obviously fake tale as to convince her husband of why it was of utmost importance to divert the city funds towards installing a Hoshidan statue in his backyard instead of directing said funds towards the renovation of some of New Valla's newest inns. With the influx of new immigrants, existing inns and homes were filling up almost at an unprecedented rate, and without the building of new homes for the immigrants, many would soon find themselves out on the streets. Most of the immigrants Nohrians who were either curious as to this new land or just plain sick of living in the barren wastelands that encompassed most of the Dark Kingdom's territory.

Corrin had been loathe to simply "let" these new immigrants to languid for days on end in the city streets of New Gyges. As secure as the newfound peace was, peace did not necessarily bring an end to crime and homicides, and Azura had to sift through packets upon packets of paper relating to six cases of homicides alone. Apparently, decades of war, strife, and racism couldn't be erased overnight.

"…but you have to see, your majesty, renovating the Statue of Sargeras would greatly improve the gardens, possibly bringing in more would-be tourists who would be  _dying_  to get a glimpse at—"

"I've said this once and I'll say it again," Corrin said firmly, a stern slash in place of his usual, easy-going smile. "Diverting city funds to renovate something that belongs to  _you_  and you alone would, quite frankly, benefit nobody but you. This is New Valla. Here, we dedicate to mending the rift between Hoshido and Nohr, and we can only do that if we act equally towards both nations' people."

"But sir!"

"I'm not finished yet," Corrin said, raising a singer finger for emphasis. "I've explained to you many times, if we divert funds to renovate something of  _yours_ , then we have no money to renovate something of  _ours_. This week already, we've had nearly five hundred Nohrians arrive here in New Gyges, and today is only the first day of the week, Daimyo Hiyoshi. We  _need_  that money to build more homes for these people, money that cannot go to you just so you can bring in some more visitors."

"But they're Nohrians!" Hiyoshi protested. "You say you're worried about leaving the immigrants out on the streets, but if they're Nohrians, shouldn't they be used to it?"

A collective sharp intake of air echoed around the throne room as everyone, Hoshidan and Nohrian alike, grimaced at the blatant statement. Hiyoshi's eyes instantly widened and he hunched his shoulders as if expecting a blow.

Azura's hand unconsciously curled around the arm of her throne as she uncrossed her legs, finally alert. Corrin, on the other hand, did not react. In fact, the only thing that gave away his shock was the blink he always did whenever he was caught off-guard.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear you say that," he said coolly. "Especially not in New Valla and  _especially_  not in  _my_  throne room."

"Your majesty, I—"

"Scribes!" Corrin called. A group of spectacled men adorned in thick and heavy robes slowly shuffled their way out of the guard. As soon as all four of the scribes were in place, Corrin cleared his throat.

"Let it be known that as of now, the city of New Valla will  _not_  support or assist in providing the funds for any decorative renovations that do not directly contribute towards resolving the shortage of homes and shelter for the incoming immigrants," Corrin declared, his voice booming. "This decree shall only be lifted once I, King Corrin Rheos, deem it necessary."

For a few minutes, the only sounds in the throne room was the scratching of quills against parchment as the scribes wrote furiously. Save for Corrin, and Azura to an extent, the rest of the nobles fidgeted nervously, unsure of how to react to their king's sudden frostiness.

Hiyoshi simply swallowed and took a step back towards the crowd, hoping to blend in and avoid the shame of his fellow nobles, but before he could take more than a few steps, Corrin cleared his throat again and said, "Next time, Daimyo Hiyoshi, you would do well to remember that New Valla is the city of  _balance_. Hoshido may be called the Kingdom of Light and Nohr the Kingdom of Darkness, but New Valla is the Kingdom of  _Balance_. We do not look kindly upon those who refuse to give up their old, misguided ways. The court is now adjourned."

* * *

As soon as the guards closed the door behind the last of the nobles, they turned and bowed respectfully towards Corrin and Azura before snapping back to attention. Azura took Corrin's hand and rubbed it worriedly as he pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand.

"Politics," he muttered, shaking his hand. "How tiresome."

"I know," Azura said comfortingly. "I never could understand how you could stand to do something you hate so much."

"I don't  _hate_  it," Corrin corrected, looking up at her. "I just have a certain…dislike of it when it gets bad."

"Like today?" Azura asked.

" _Especially_  today," Corrin said, drawing a long face. He slouched back in his throne, not bothering to hide his grimace as the back of his head collided against the back of the stone throne.

"Ah, damn," he cursed, rubbing his head. "Y'know, I sort of get why the stone symbolizes both power and burden, but right now, it's  _definitely_  leaning towards the burden side."

"It'll get better soon," Azura cooed. Then, taking a look outside an open window, she noticed how the sun was almost kissing the horizon and that save for the two guards who were tactful enough to ignore the two royals' oddities in private, they were completely alone.

In one, fluid motion, Azura jumped to her feet, throwing in an extra little spin for pizzazz as she pulled Corrin out of his throne. Corrin's eyes widened in surprise as he found himself being spun around by Azura, though a smile quickly graced his lips.

"It's almost evening," Corrin noted as Azura took him by the hand and dragged him off towards their bedroom.

"So it is," Azura said nonchalantly.

"We should probably have dinner soon."

"We should," she agreed pleasantly.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, I don't know. I'll have what you're having."

"That— _Azura_."

Corrin's hand' slipped out of hers as he suddenly stopped. Azura halted and turned around to look at him quizzingly as he crossed his arms and shook his head in amusement.

"We've gone over this before," Corrin said, tapping his foot. "I'm asking what  _you_  want to eat, not what  _I'm_  going to get."

"But I don't care what I eat," Azura replied.

"I don't either!" Corrin said exasperatedly.

"Well then, it seems like we're locked in an eternal stalemate then," Azura said, crossing her arms to mirror Corrin's own stance.

A mock scowl appeared on Corrin's face as he playfully growled at Azura. To his own surprise, Azura actually growled back, a strange, rising purr that set what hairs he hand on the back of his neck sticking straight up.

As soon as Corrin's expression crumbled, Azura giggled and took his hand in her own again. " _Fine,_  then," she said, sighing dramatically. "We'll ask Jakob to surprise us, then. No disagreements there?"

"I, uh—no."

"Good," Azura said, satisfied at besting her husband once again. "Now, let's find him."


	19. The Mornings

" _Welcome to the Yato. How can we—oh my gods. It's you."_

" _What? It's me? You forget about me or somethin'_

" _No, no! It's…just that you've been gone for a few months. Was beginning to wonder whether or not you were dead."_

" _Ha. If only. I've been in Nohr, workin' as a merc."_

" _A mercenary, huh? Pay well?"_

" _Ha! What do y'think? Weather up there colder than th' bloody Ice Tribes, an' they practically breath in snow."_

" _I assumed that since Tte War ended, there would be peace for once. At the very least, I expected the soldiers would be able to keep the bandits at bay."_

" _It ain't bandits we were huntin' after."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _Listen, there's been word tha' Anankos didn't die the most peaceful 'o ways, ya hear me? 'pparently, there's been word of buncha patrols an' hunters goin' missing in Th' Spine. King didn't want to send his own men, so we did it for them. Bunch of coward, th' lot of 'em."_

" _Sounds…interesting."_

" _Hmph. A bit o' an overstatement."_

" _Have you found anything?"_

" _Just a coupla Faceless wanderin' around with their thumbs up their ass. No signs o' spellwork or fightin'."_

"…"

"…"

"

"…"

" _So tell me—what's new? What's been goin' on since I left? Business doin' good? King still aroun'?"_

" _Yep. Made a law couple of weeks ago saying city won't pay for decorative renovations. Guess I'll never be getting that sign painted any time soon."_

" _Tha's it? I'm gone for a quarta of a year, and tha's all he's done?"_

" _He's done more, you know. Maybe you should quit stalking Faceless and get your thumb out of your ass."_

" _Listen here, you—"_

" _Hey, I'm glad you're all okay and whatever, but The Yato's still the Yato. We don't take kindly to people dissing our king. If you got such a problem with him, consider talking to that group of gentlemen over there in the corner. They'll straighten you out."_

"… _fine. Gimme a beer."_

" _What size?"_

" _Largest y'have."_

* * *

When Corrin woke up the next morning, he was pleasantly greeted by the sight of Azura propping herself up on her elbow beside him, her eyelids fluttering as she drew meaningless circles on his chest. For a moment, Corrin entertained the notion of suddenly jerking his body just to scare her, but he was loathed to disturb the tranquil expression on her face.

It had been almost three or so years since the end of the war, since they brought Hoshido and Nohr together and created New Valla, yet three years did little to make Corrin forget the hardships Azura went through. Between being forced to flee for her life from her ancestral home, losing both of her parents before adulthood, being unfairly subjugated to some of the harshest and racist behavior in Hoshido,  _and_  fighting in one history's bloodiest and most drawn-out wars, it was a nothing except a blessing from the gods that allowed him to wake up to sight of his wife smiling first thing in the morning. Hell, it was a miracle that she even smiled as much as she did, but whenever Corrin glimpsed that shy upward turn of her lips, only for her to suddenly look away when he turned towards her, he couldn't help but feel all his worries fall away from his shoulders like an old coat.

Gone was the teeth-grinding frustration caused by dealing with nobles who were still too distrustful of each other to do more than exchange curt greetings. Banished was the feeling of hopelessness and utter despair whenever he walked into his study after a long day of holding court and seeing a massive stack of paperwork on his desk. Dispelled was the stress and worry of having to run the kingdom while trying to appease the very people who could theoretically do such a thing. All of these and more were abolished by the simple sight of Azura next to him in the morning, smiling.

Corrin tried to remain as still as possible, but Azura must have known he was awake. He shivered before involuntarily jerking himself away when he felt her slender fingers brush against the inner part of his upper arm, right where he was most ticklish.

Corrin's eyes snapped wide open as he tried to fend her off without letting himself or Azura fall onto the floor. As soon as Azura ceased her assault on him, Corrin took a moment to catch his breath, giving her a puppy-like look of amusement.

In response, Azura simply leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on his nose, causing him to blink. "Good morning, sleepyhead," she said, smiling. "Awake yet?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm up," Corrin said, yawning as he stretched his arms. "What time is it?"

Azura glanced at the clock in the corner of their room. The hands read that it was somewhere in the late morning, almost noon. "Not…too late," she said vaguely, brushing a strand of Corrin's white hair out of his eyes.

"Lucky me," Corrin said as he wrapped an arm around Azura's waist. "Didn't really want to do anything today. Just felt like lazing around with you, if you're alright with that."

Azura couldn't stop herself from giggling as she felt the way Corrin's chest rumbled under her fingers. It always vibrated when he spoke due to his draconic heritage, but it was especially apparent in the morning before his vocal cords warmed up.

"I'm fine with that," Azura said softly, rubbing Corrin's chest with a thumb. "Honestly, I didn't really want to do anything either."

"Mmhmm."

Corrin finally let his eyes close together before letting his head fall back onto his pillow with a breathy  _huff_. Azura took a moment to touch his face affectionately. In response, a small smile appeared on his lips. When Corrin shifted so that his arms were open to her, Azura took advantage of his offer and moved so that her back was pressed up against his chest, one hand touching his face while the other rested over his hands, which in turn rested over her stomach.

Azura temporarily froze when she felt Corrin gently butt his head into her shoulder.

"So…soft," he mumbled. "Smells…nice."

"Does it?" Azura asked, taking a strand of hair and holding it up to her nose. "I don't smell anything."

"Smells…nice," Corrin repeated. "Like…strawberries…and…and…flowers."

"What kind of flowers?" Azura asked innocently.

"Mmhmm," Corrin rumbled. "Lavender…"

"Lavender?" Azura asked. "My hair smells like lavender?"

Corrin nodded before nosing her again. "Smells really…really soft."

Azura couldn't keep herself from smiling. She adjusted her position so that she was facing Corrin instead of away from him. At the sight of Corrin sleepily holding a strand of her hair up to his nose, a rather mischievous smile crept its way onto Azura's lips.

Moving slowly to avoid warning Corrin, Azura stealthily gathered up a bunch of her hair. As soon as she was satisfied with the amount of hair she accumulated, she stuck the ends towards Corrin's nose and began to wiggle it back and forth. At first, Corrin's only reaction was a frown overtaking his sleep smile, but before long, he began shaking his head back and forth before letting everything out in a sneeze.

"Bless you," Azura said playfully as Corrin cracked an eyelid open.

"Thanks," he deadpanned, reaching for the tissue box on the nightstand. "Just what I wanted to experience."

"You were the one who wanted to smell it," Azura teased.

"Oh, did I?" Corrin asked. A mischievous glint in his eye was all the warning Azura had before he suddenly tightened his arms around her, loose enough for her to breathe and move, but not so loose that she could move away from him.

Laughing, Azura struggled to free herself as Corrin moved so that he was on top, his hands grabbing her forearms and forcing them down, albeit in a playful way. Her laughs subsided as she soon as she realized her position. As soon as she realized what Corrin was planning on doing to her, she began to shake again and tried to free herself, laughing all the while.

"Don't do it, Corrin," she said in what she hoped was a threatening voice. "Don't you do it."

"Do what?" Corrin asked innocently. "You were the one who asked for it."

As soon as he was sure Azura wouldn't make a break for it, he released her and began working his hands up her nightgown, fingers scrabbling for that spot under her right armpit that never failed to make her laugh.

"No! No! Corrin!" Azura shrieked, laughing. She kicked her legs feebly as she struggled to free her arms. "Stop! Corrin!"

A devilish smile appeared on his lips as his fingers brushed against that spot, causing her to jerk reflexively. "You were the one who asked for it," he repeated, parroting her words.

"Corrin!"

After a few minutes, when both he and Azura were breathing hard and exhausted from their war of attrition, Corrin collapsed on the bed next to her, arm throwing itself around her shoulder. Azura automatically scooched in closer to her, and for a few precious moments, nothing else in the world mattered to her except the warm mass next to her and the feeling of her heart pounding in her throat.

"That was…fun," she said as soon as she caught her breath.

"Tell me about it," Corrin said. "Shame we can't do this more often."

"It's only because you always sleep in," Azura replied, poking him gently in the ribs. "You're always trying to sleep to noon."

"What can I do about it?" Corrin said. Lowering his voice out of habit, he added, "It's not like I'm practically part reptile, now am I?"

"You're part dragon," Azura said flatly. "I'd say you're more than 'part' reptile. Trying 'godly.'"

"And is a dragon nothing but a really big reptile?" Corrin countered. "I mean, I read somewhere that reptiles get really sleep when it's cold. They fall into something called a 'torpor' or something, and what do you know? When it's cold, all of a sudden, I feel like sleeping. Coincidence? I think no.!"

"I disagree," Azura said. "I think you only feel tired during the winter because you, my sleepyhead, are hardwired to associate darkness with sleep, and as soon as you see something resembling black, you'll find any reason to justify falling asleep."

"I do not!" Corrin protested. "My armor used to be half-black, remember? I never fell asleep because of that!"

"I hope you didn't," Azura said drolly, "what with you being on the frontlines and what not. As brave as you are, that does not make you invincib— _eek!"_

Azura instinctively jerked herself away as she felt something slither in between her legs. When she tore the bed covers away, however, she saw that it was, in fact, Corrin's tail.

Upon seeing her expression, Corrin's expression crumpled and he began to laugh. In response, Azura rolled her eyes and slapped him light-heartedly.

"Men," she said exasperatedly. "Why is  _that_  always on your mind?"

"It's not," Corrin protested, rolling over as Azura continued to playfully slap and poke him. "I swear, that wasn't what I was trying to say!"

"Oh really?" Azura asked. "Then why'd you have to put it  _there_  of all places?"

Before Corrin could respond, a knock on their door caused them both to freeze and turn.

"Uh, m-milady?" Felicia's voice asked timidly. "A-are you two…done in there?"

"Yes!" Corrin called out.

"Not yet!" Azura said at the same time. The two looked at each other, Azura with exasperation and Corrin with playfulness.

"Fine, whatever she said!" Corrin said. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong!" Felicia called out. "It's just…it's just that it's almost four in the afternoon, Lord Corrin, and—"

"It's  _what_?" Corrin said, jumping out of the bed. Turning towards Azura, he said, "I thought you said it wasn't that late!"

"I also said it wasn't too early either!" Azura retorted. "It's not like we had anything to do today, right?"

"Well, I mean…no, not really," Corrin admitted, "But I was really hoping to have lunch with you today."

"We still can," Azura replied.

"It's  _four_! In the afternoon!"

"So? You can never go wrong with a late lunch."

"Azur—what? No! That's incredibly wrong! I'm pretty sure there's a law forbidding any kind of meal after four to be called lunch."

Azura shrugged. "Well, you  _are_  the king of New Valla, which means you  _do_  technically make the rules."

Corrin paused and tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "you're not wrong. I  _could_  make a law forbidding—Felicia?"

"Yes, milord?"

"Can…can you tell Otis to set an appointment with me sometime tomorrow? I got an idea for a new law we need to put in place."

Something that sounded suspiciously like a giggle came from the other side of the door as Felicia said, "Yes, of course, milord. I'll relay your message to him."

"Thanks, Felicia!" Corrin called out as the  _clack_  of her heels faded away. Turning back towards Azura, he was promptly greeted by the sight of her on her stomach, legs kicking lazily in the air and hand propping up her face as she stared flatly towards him.

"What?" Corrin said defensively. "You said I could."

"I know," Azura said. "But…I wasn't expecting you to actually go through with it."

Corrin chuckled before striking a "heroic" pose with his hands on his hips. "Well, what did you expect?" he asked. "I'm me, after all."

Azura rolled her eyes before throwing a pillow at him. "I know you are. Now come on. We should probably change and get dressed."


	20. I miss you...

Normally, Corrin was the one who would be greeted by the sight of Azura in their bed, dressed in her nightgown and swaddled in blankets with her hands free and interlaced together as she stared out the window, waiting for him. Normally, Azura would turn her head towards him as he entered the room before smiling at him as she struggled to free herself from her self-imposed prison of blankets.

Sometimes, Corrin would cross the room quickly to plant a kiss on her forehead before smiling back at her. Whenever that happened, Azura would inevitably fall still as she watched him gather his nightclothes and disappear into their washroom. When he emerged a few minutes later, hair damp and face slightly flushed, she would welcome him with open arms onto the bed.

When he was feeling especially tired, he would simply snuggle up to her and bury his face in her hair. Whenever that happened, Azura couldn't help but smile and hum as one hand ran its way through his hair while the other extinguished the candle. Though she would never admit it, Azura would always try to stay up later than Corrin to watch him sleep.

There was always this… _something_  about watching him sleep that allowed Azura's heart to slow and her eyes to fall. It wasn't just the fact that she could see him without the worry lines in his face for once, nor was it the feeling of his warm body next to hers. Rather, it was just  _something_  about having the love of her life next to her in bed.

Not many women can say with confidence that they found "the one," but Azura knew in the deepest part of her heart of hearts that Corrin was her other half. Even as the trees belonged to the earth, her heart belonged to Corrin.

She desperately wished to tell him how much he meant to her. Sometimes, she would brush a lock of hair out of her eyes as she whispered a few, scant words of love to her husband. Words of how much she loved, of how he was her strength, and of how lost she would be without him.

Of course, he never heard them, but so long as she found herself telling him those words every night, she found herself able to sleep easily.

Which was why, tonight, Azura found herself looking around with wide eyes, blanket pulled up to her nose.

Corrin was to be gone for another day. Ryoma had requested Corrin's assistance with talking to a group of farmers who didn't exactly agree with living under the New Vallite rule. At first, they were nothing more than a band of people waving pitchforks and hoes around, but as their numbers grew, so did the threat of violence. Corrin and Ryoma were to travel to the village to negotiate with the farmers, and the night before he left, Corrin had whispered in her ear that he expected to be for a total of four days.

"Be careful," Azura had whispered back into his ear. "Gods know what I would do without you."

To that, Corrin simply chuckled and pulled away. Brushing her hair out of her eys, she gently touched her face and said, "Azura, I hope you know that…that you mean  _everything_  to me. If…if I could, I would…well, I don't exactly know  _what_  I would do, but if it was for you, I would see it through to the end, no matter the cost."

"O-oh," she said. How else was she supposed to respond to such a statement? "I…I see. I-I love you too, Corrin."

"I love you more."

In the corner of the room, the grandfather clock suddenly struck midnight. Startled, Azura bolted upright and looked around the room, face flushed and chest heaving.

What if something had gone wrong with the negotiations? What if, instead of Corrin riding through the castle gates, it was a coffin instead? Or what if Corrin didn't come back at all? Sure, Corrin may one of the best warriors in the lend, but it had been  _months_  since he picked up Yato and fought an actual opponent! What if he came back missing an arm? Or a leg? Or—

Azura flinched as the door suddenly burst open. Before she could do so much as yelp or dive underneath the blankets, Azura found herself being pinned to the bed by an oddly familiar presence.

"C-Corrin?"

"Hi."

Azura's eyes widened as she realized who the intruder was. Pulling herself away to light a candle, she was promptly greeted by the sight of Corrin in his armor, which to her relief, was free of blood and other signs of battle. As soon as she was done taking in his appearance, she darted forward to take his face in her hands.

"I thought you said you would be gone for four days!" she exclaimed, not bothering to hide the joy in her voice.

Corrin simply shrugged. "What can I say? I missed you!"

Azura was at a loss for words. "But…but what about the farmers? Are they—"

"They've been taken care of," Corrin said, a little bit too nonchalantly. "As soon as they realized that both Ryoma and I are the ones meeting with them, I guess they realized their little uprising wasn't going to go anywhere, so they just sort of…stopped."

"Are you hurt?" Azura asked concernedly, poring over his form.

"Of course not!" Corrin chuckled. "They didn't even have weapons! Well, I mean, I guess they had pitchforks, but then again, it's not like they're fighting the literal king of Hoshido and New Valla, right?"

"I'm just glad you're back," Azura said, pulling him into a tight hug. "I couldn't even sleep without you being next to me."

Corrin's eyes softened as he smiled. "Yeah. Me too. It's good to be back."

"Mmhmm…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Apologies for the lack of updates. Between writer's block, college stuff, and overall poor time management, I haven't been able to properly update this story every week. Rest assured, I will see this through to the end...but with Three Houses being more popular than Fates ever will be, I doubt most of you remember this work. For the people that do, though...you're the GOAT.


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